By Peter Makossah
To avert road accidents and ensure public safety, Nottingham Police have urged road users to extra care on the roads and ride safely over the Bank Holiday weekend.
The number of bikers out on the road network significantly increases from Easter as this weekend is the start of the leisure biker season and the opening round for the British Superbike Championship which is taking place at Silverstone.
Heidi Duffy MBE, Traffic Management Officer at Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“The majority of collisions involving motorcyclists also involve other motorists and we would appeal to all road users over this busy Bank Holiday weekend to look out for each other and ‘THINK BIKE’ this Easter weekend.
“Drivers should check for motorcyclists before pulling out or into junctions, check mirrors before turning and expect to see more bikers sharing the road with them.
“Bikers emerging from winter to take their first ‘ride out’ need to check their bike (BOLT = brakes, oil, lights, tyres) and themselves, as riding a motorcycle requires skill and practice and it may not be just the bike that is rusty after a few months off the road.”
With the increased numbers of motorcyclists comes the increased potential for collisions, involving two wheels and four wheels, so Nottinghamshire Police is urging all road users to take care over the Easter break.
In addition, the courier riders working in the GIG economy will be kept busy this weekend as people treat themselves to home-delivered food.
The latest collision data available shows that for the full 2022 calendar year, 76 bikers were killed or seriously injured and 162 slightly injured in the Nottinghamshire Police area.
This compares with 81 killed and seriously injured (KSI) incidents and 131 slight injury incidents for the full 2021 year.
Positive engagement with riders and drivers is taking place this week as part of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Motorcycle Safety Week.
The Shiny Side Up Partnership www.shinysideup.co.uk, which is supported by Nottinghamshire Police, supported the 42nd Nottinghamshire Motorcycle Egg Run last weekend.
Over 500 bikers took part in the event – hosted by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service – which was held on Sunday (2 April 2023). Riders departed from Forest Recreational Ground in Nottingham and made their way to Mansfield Fire Station.
On Easter Monday, 2,340 Easter eggs were distributed to various children’s centres, charities, hospitals, and care providers.
Think Bike back packs, snoods, vests, and stickers were provided at Sunday’s event and the partnership is also supporting the Nottinghamshire Group of the Institute of Advanced Motorcyclists (IAM) with a development day they are holding at Epperstone, Nottinghamshire, on Sunday 23 April 23, with similar resources for riders.
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service Crew Manager, Christopher Trendowicz, said: “This Motorbike Safety Week, we’re encouraging bikers to sign up to our free Biker Down course.
“The four-hour course covers three modules to help bikers know what to do if they came across an accident and we teach people the same skills we use ourselves as operational firefighters.
“We cover scene assessment and scene management, first aid including helmet removal and when it is appropriate, and information about being safer on the road as a biker in the science of being seen.
For dates, times, and locations of the courses, Trendowicz, advise people to visit the Biker Down Nottinghamshire Facebook page.
“Events like the Easter Egg Run Nottinghamshire are a great opportunity to engage with our biker community. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at next year’s event, on 24 March 2024.”
“Drivers should check for motorcyclists before pulling out or into junctions, check mirrors before turning and expect to see more bikers sharing the road with them.”
Heidi Duffy MBE
Traffic Management Officer at Nottinghamshire Police
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