Road safety body GEM Motoring Assist has called for a renewed focus on improving the safety of all motorcyclists after newly released government figures revealed an 8% rise in rider fatalities on Britain’s roads in 2024.
The sad news came against a more positive backdrop of decreases in car occupant and cyclist deaths.
GEM said that while it was pleased to see fatalities among these groups fall, the gains were overshadowed by the increase in motorcyclists’ lives lost.
GEM added that current efforts to improve road safety are not sufficient and it wanted a new focus on creating a shared responsibility to keep bikers safe.
Motorcyclists remain among the most at-risk groups on the road, facing disproportionately high risks compared with other modes of transport.
GEM says the rise in deaths highlights the pressing need for better awareness among car drivers, improved training both for riders and motorists, and robust action to help everyone make better decisions on journeys.
James Luckhurst, GEM’s head of road safety, said:
“This increase in motorcycle fatalities should serve as a wake-up call. This is why we are looking to the national government to step up, show strong leadership and share its long-awaited strategy, without delay.
“We also need commitment from individuals. Reducing road casualties is everyone’s responsibility; we all have the opportunity to play our part, whether as drivers, cyclists, pedestrians or passengers.
“By driving at safe speeds, avoiding distractions and showing courtesy to other road users, we are contributing to safer roads and helping to protect the lives of those around us.”
GEM urges everyone to look out for each other, reduce risks where possible and to use the roads with care, courtesy and concentration – the same principles identified when the organisation was founded in 1932.
Motorcyclists continue to be involved in serious collisions where car and van drivers manoeuvre into their path having failed to see a motorbike, moped or scooter.
GEM is among a number of road safety groups that have called for a new national advertising campaign to highlight looking after bikers, similar to the successful ‘Think once, think twice, think bike’ ad campaign of the 1980s and 90s.
It wants a renewed focus on making drivers aware of the slim silhouette bikers have, which makes them easy to miss in a quick glance to check the coast is clear when pulling out from a junction or turning across traffic.
There are fears that with the hours of natural light reducing as we enter winter, bikers will be even more vulnerable to crashes when they haven’t been spotted by a fellow road user.