SCOTS bikers returning to country roads after the easing of coronavirus travel restrictions are being urged to be even more cautious than usual by safety experts.
Despite motorcyclists making up just two per cent of Scottish road users, one in five crashes on Scotland’s non-urban routes involve motorbikes and, of those, three in five result in a death. A total of 85 per cent of all biker deaths were in rural areas in 2018.
The warning comes from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), which has launched a Better Bikers campaign to increase the uptake of post-test training for Scottish riders.
Nick Lloyd, the charity’s head of road safety, said: “Those who already ride rural roads will know of their dangers – sharp bends, blind corners, other motorists and poor surfaces. But it’s likely to have been a while since they experienced these conditions, so they may need to refamiliarise themselves.
“There are also likely to be those who are not as experienced on rural roads, so they really need to be aware of the inherent dangers. We are also urging drivers who are planning longer trips to be vigilant on country journeys and look out for bikers at all times.”
As part of the campaign, RoSPA has launched a digital hub at www.BetterBikers.org.uk that will host information, advice and resources on how to handle country roads and the dangers they present.
The site will be updated during the summer but it already includes a pre-ride maintenance checklist for your bike, a video on taking bends and links to organisations that help bikers improve their skills.
Nick added: “Motorcyclists are generally the best-trained motorists on the road due to the extensive nature of the test and licence requirements. But despite them being very vulnerable on the road, few then continue with their learning once they’ve passed. We want them all to be even better bikers.
“The fact is, further training will make you an even better biker, improving your rides by giving you planning and observation skills, making you smoother and putting you in more control, with the added bonus of increasing your safety.”
