Motorcyclists urged to Ride SMART on the roads
30/03/2010 11:08:59
With the busy Easter and May bank holiday weekends approaching, Surrey Police and Surrey County Council are reminding motorcyclists to be alert and ride safely - and motorists to be extra vigilant and look twice for bikes.
Of the 42 deaths on Surrey’s roads in 2009, nine were motorcyclists. This compares to five (total deaths 45) in 2008 and 18 (total deaths 60) in 2007.
Surrey Police and partner organisations have been running a number of high profile initiatives since last September, as part of the Drive SMART campaign to tackle anti-social behaviour by motorists and reduce the number of casualties on the roads. With the inevitable increase in traffic over bank holiday weekends, the campaign is raising awareness of the risks to motorcyclists in particular and encouraging all road users to make safety their top priority.
During Easter and the May bank holidays, Surrey Police motorcyclists will be visiting the popular meeting points at Box Hill and Newlands Corner to talk to bikers about riding safely. At the same time, officers will be promoting Surrey BikeSafe, an initiative to help lower the number of motorcyclist casualties. By passing on their knowledge, skills and experience, police motorcyclists can help riders become safer and more competent.
The Surrey BikeSafe team will be at the Ready to Ride event, organised by Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, on Sunday, 18 April, 10am to 4pm, at Haslemere fire station.
Officers will also be encouraging drivers to be more aware of motorbikes, particularly at junctions where they can often be responsible for collisions with motorcyclists after failing to look properly.
Inspector Chris Colley, from Surrey's Roads Policing Unit, said: "Our proactive approach to improving road safety throughout the past few years has had a significant impact on the number of fatalities in the county. As more motorcyclists take to the roads over the spring and summer, Surrey Police Roads Policing officers will again be working on initiatives aimed at further reducing road deaths through enforcement, education and discretion. Bad driving or riding in the county won’t be tolerated."
Surrey County Council Leader Andrew Povey said: "Our Drive SMART campaign is all about discouraging anti-social driving and getting people to think more about how their behaviour impacts on fellow motorists. A lack of concentration even for a moment can have devastating consequences for motorcyclists, which is why we are urging riders and drivers to look out for each other, especially as the spring sunshine brings more bikers onto the road."