In a new 2Wheels London blog post, the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) raises concerns that the recently-announced Highway Code review will negatively impact safety for riders.
Launched in July, the review is designed to improve road safety for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders. However, it makes no reference to motorcyclists – who statistics show are the most at-risk road user group.
Among the alterations proposed in the review is a new hierarchy of road users to ensure those who can do the ‘greatest harm’ have the ‘greatest responsibility’ to reduce the danger or threat they may pose to others.
At the time, MAG expressed outrage at the ‘lack of consideration’ for motorcyclists – describing the ‘systemic and sustained process of turning a blind eye to the needs of motorcyclists’ as ‘unforgivable’.
- Click here to read the full blog post.
In the blog post, Colin Brown, MAG’s director of campaigns and political engagement, expands on those views – noting the proposed detailed rule changes will ‘create new risks specifically to motorcyclists’.
He adds that the hierarchy ‘simply achieves the application of privilege’ and that the principle ‘can therefore be legitimately viewed as creating elitism that will simply fuel division and encourage irresponsible behaviour’.
The post outlines MAG’s views for the current proposals to be scrapped in their entirety.
Instead, MAG proposes that consideration of rule changes to reduce the threat to all vulnerable road user groups, including motorcycles, starts again with a blank sheet of paper.
It says and new rules should focus on core messages of personal responsibility, and equality of respect and compassion for all road users.
21 September 2020
