With peak riding season on the horizon, a road safety charity is helping riders to reduce their risk of being involved in a collision.
GEM Motoring Assist has published five simple ‘lifesaver’ safety tips – alongside a plea for riders to boost their skills and know their limits.
GEM is also urging other road users to improve their observation and look out for motorcyclists.
GEM’s safety tips:
- If you’ve had your bike in the garage for the winter, use the start of the riding season to invest in a refresher day with a training professional
- Make sure you take time to warm up, especially if you are not a regular rider and not ‘bike fit’
- Wear high visibility clothing on all journeys, and ride in a way that gives others a better chance of seeing you
- Don’t ride beyond your comfort zone, especially if you’re riding in a group. If your friends are cornering too quickly for you, let them go and join them at the next junction.
- Try not to dwell on errors as you go along. Plan 10 to 15 seconds ahead, and anticipate the next hazard. When you stop for a break, reflect on anything that didn’t go to plan, ask what you have learnt and how you can reduce the chance of the same thing happening again.
Statistics show there were 347 motorcycle fatalities in 2017, a 9% year-on-year rise.
Neil Worth, GEM road safety officer, said: “There’s a lot of satisfaction to be gained from riding a motorcycle with skill and precision. But if you’re riding at speed, there is no margin for error if you – or another road user near you – gets something wrong.
“That’s why we’re not only encouraging riders to give themselves a ‘skills MOT’ during the early part of this season, we’re also urging drivers and pedestrians to make a special point of looking out for motorcyclists, especially at junctions.
“After all, it’s here around 30 riders are killed or injured every day.”
15 May 2019
