Bikers in Warwickshire encouraged to 'upskill' to improve their safety on roads

Bikers across Warwickshire are being encouraged to 'upskill' to improve their safety on the roads.

Warwickshire Police and partners are supporting the Project Edward campaign this week, for ‘Every day without a road death’.

Carol Close who lost her son Luke in a single vehicle motorcycle collision in August 2019 in Staffordshire is a keen campaigner around the need for bikers to improve their riding skills to help keep them safe.

Carol said: “The day that Luke died part of me died too.

"I will never recover from the devastation and heartbreak, I am forever incomplete. He made the world a better place and touched the hearts of everyone he met.

“I urge all motorcyclists to please invest in yourselves.

"Sign up to a course that will help enhance your ride by upskilling you, learn how to prepare for the unexpected and even how to save a fellow bikers life. It’s no use having the dream bike if you aren’t going to be here to ride it.

“As Lukes Legacy we have a DocBike in Staffordshire, this puts a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service Doctor or critical care paramedic on a motorcycle.

"We are working to eradicate motorcycle deaths through engagement, injury and roadside critical care. Please take a look at the DocBike website to learn more about our work.”

In 2019, 13 motorbike riders lost their lives in fatal collisions in Warwickshire, and a further 73 bikers suffered serious or life changing injuries.

Most of these but not all involved more powerful motorbikes over 500cc.

Sergeant Shaun Bridle of Warwickshire Police said: “We are encouraging bikers to upskill by attending courses such as BikeSafe and Biker Down to help them reduce risk and their chance of becoming a casualty on the roads.

"It’s an unfortunate reality that motorcyclists continue to be over-represented in collision figures, and injured or killed as a result of these collisions.

"Currently within Warwickshire, 40 per cent of our fatal collision investigations involve a motorcyclist and we’re keen to do all we can to bring these figures down.”

BikeSafe is a police led initiative supported by the Police Crime Commissioner’s office, which restarted in Warwickshire on September 6.

It offers bikers the opportunity to spend a day learning from advanced police motorcyclists and experience a professional police-observed ride with them to improve their riding skills, safety and enjoyment of riding their bike on the roads.

Workshops cost £65 and cover areas including rider attitude, collision causation, cornering, positioning, overtaking, observation, braking, hazard perception and use of gears.

Bikers are also encouraged to progress on to accredited post-test training.

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service also offer Biker Down, a free three hour course open to anyone to better equip bikers arriving first at the scene of a collision.

Biker Down is delivered in partnership with a number of organisations including Warwickshire Police, Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service, West Midlands Ambulance Service and the Road Safety Partnership.

James Luckhurst who conceived Project Edward and is a Fellow of the Association for Road Risk Management (ARRM) said: “This year we have a whole week of activities planned to support the campaign for ‘Every day without a road death’ with a particular focus on those who drive for work.

“Throughout the week, the Project Edward road trip will be stopping at multiple locations each day to share exciting content, knowledge, interviews and stories all linked to reducing risk and keeping those who drive for work safe."

For more information go to: www.bikesafe.co.uk or https://www.facebook.com/BikerDownWarwickshire/ or www.docbike.org