Operation resurrected to improve road safety for motorcyclists

Cumbria Police have resurrected an operation which aims to target motorcyclists who have a disregard for the safety of other road uses and themselves.

Motorcyclists represent only one percent of all road traffic, yet account for 21% of all road deaths in Great Britain. To date this year, there have been 105 injury collisions in Cumbria involving a motorcycle (around 3 per week). In July alone, there were 10 serious or fatal collisions, 7 of which involved a motorcycle.

In an aim to tackle this, Cumbria's Roads Policing Unit (RPU) is stepping up their awareness campaign to make motorcyclists and other roads users aware of the dangers of driving in an unsafe manner and that any risk could cost a life.  

Advanced Police motorcyclists within RPU currently successfully operate "Bikesafe" events throughout the year with the assistance of the institute of advanced motorists (IAM) as an educational tool to improve rider behaviour and reduce collisions on our roads networks. With the continual high percentage and unacceptable level of motorcyclists involved in collisions, Operation "Focus", a force wide enforcement campaign has been re-invoked to specifically target and enforce offences against those motorcyclists who disregard the safety of other road users and themselves.

Inspector Andy Wilkinson said “From the 1^st September police officers across the county will be specifically targeting priority locations in a concentrated effort to affect driver and rider behaviour through enforcement and education in an effort to reduce the collisions involving motorcyclists.

“This is not merely a matter of prosecuting all motorcyclists or drivers for minor offences, this is a positive response addressing a serious problem of members of the public losing their lives or receiving life changing injuries on our roads.

“We wish to encourage all road users to pay particular attention to motorcyclists, who are more vulnerable on our roads, and encourage the reporting of any intelligence or information of particular incidents of careless or dangerous riding or driving so they may be investigated.”

  

Anyone who would like further information can visit either www.Bikesafe.co.uk or www.cumbria.police.uk