Category: Safety & Compensation

1. Leading and Following Motorcycle accidents

   Posted on 1:03pm Thursday 12th Aug 2010

   Motorcyclists are at a much greater risk of death or serious injury than other road users. 

   Despite forming only 1% of road traffic in the UK, motorcyclists account for 18% of road deaths and serious injuries. It is a sad yet true fact that 1 in 4 Motorcyclists will be involved in an accident and of those only 1 in 5 will be at fault.*

   It will be of no surprise that the most common reason for a motorcycle accident, is the failure of a motorist to see the motorcyclist, with 66% of all motorcycles involved in accidents being reported as 'at a junction' ** .   When there was no other involvement the rate was at 23%. The main reasons being  f ailing to look properly, loss of control, carelessness or in a hurry and even peer pressure when riding in a group.

   Motorcycle riders and passengers have the right to complain for a large amount of these accidents.

   Leading and Following Accident Scenarios include:

   * Two motorcyclists are travelling one behind the other. The first motorcyclist failed to take a left-hand bend and collided with an oncoming car sustaining fatal injuries.  The first motorcyclist was found to be negligent. 
   The second motorcyclist was travelling close behind the first and reacted to the collision in front of him.  As a result, he slid across the road.  It was held that if the second motorcyclist had allowed a few more yards space, he may have had time to react to the emergency situation and avoid the necessity of an instinctive reaction of slamming on his brakes and losing control. 

   The first motorcyclist was found at fault for the accident, but the second motorcyclist’s award was reduced by 20% as he was travelling so close as to the first motorcyclist to be found partly to blame.

   * Two motorcyclists agreed between them that as one knew the road he would “lead”.  The other followed at a distance of approximately 8 yards.  The lead motorcyclist mistook the road and ended up on waste ground.  The second bike followed colliding with the first. 

    It was held that the first motorcyclist was negligent and there was a duty on him not to mislead the following rider.

   Other areas for following up a claim include:
   
   • Spillage of diesel

   • Debris and mud

   • Missing grid covers

   • Potholes

   * Taken from the DfT Compendium of Motorcycling Statistics: 2008 Edition

   ** Taken from IHIE Guidelines for Motorcycling

2. Lady riders on the increase

   Posted on 7:57am Friday 9th Jul 2010

   The number of women taking to two wheels has increased significantly during the last eighteen months and this now represents a large proportion of moped, scooter and bike sales for the motorcycle industry.

   As a result of this trend, road safety officers in West Mercia and Warwickshire are actively promoting a series of free and subsidised “Take Control” rider assessment courses to women, in the hope that they will want to develop their riding skills.

   Director of Safety at the Coventry-based Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) Karen Cooke, has recently tried a Take Control course for herself and commented; “I have been riding motorcycles for 28 years and I am always nervous when anyone else analyses my riding technique, but my instructor was great and really put me at ease. Even though I have completed refresher training in the past, he still came up with some helpful suggestions and I was able to iron out one or two bad habits that naturally develop over time. I would encourage all moped and motorcycle riders to learn the Take Control techniques and particularly hope the increasing number of female riders will make a commitment to this sort of self improvement. There is no bravado, no test and no pressure and it helps you to become a safer rider“.                                                                                             

   Motorcycle dealerships are finding that women are buying a wider variety of machines from mopeds and scooters as a main mode of transport for commuting, to larger custom bikes and sports bikes, just for fun. Motorcycling now has a much wider appeal for both sexes, all ages and people from many different backgrounds.

   Communications Manager for the Safer Roads Partnership in West Mercia, Katy Jenkins explains; "Just ten years ago, most women wearing leathers and a crash helmet were presumed to be pillion passengers, but that is simply not the case now. We even know of a few ‘women-only bike clubs. They are often more receptive to advice and more willing to learn and we have a variety of half-day and full day courses that can be tailored to the needs and level of experience of every lady“.

   Take Control rider training costs either £30 or nothing at all, depending on the course you select. It is available to anyone who lives in or travels through the counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Warwickshire. Instructors will usually travel to where clients live or work and ride on their local roads or regular routes.

   More information can be found at www.takecontroltraining.co.uk

3. New Government Statistics Show Motorcycle Safety Improving

   Posted on 8:03am Tuesday 29th Jun 2010

   New statistics released by the Government show that as the number of motorcycle miles travelled has increased the number of casualties and fatalities has actually fallen, indicating that more miles travelled does not mean more accidents. (1)

   
   This has been the ongoing trend since around 2002, when the link was broken between the year on year number of motorcycles in use compared to the number of casualties per annum. The figures show that motorcycle traffic rose by 2 per cent but the number of motorcycle casualties was 4 percent lower than in 2008. The number reported as seriously injured fell by 4 per cent to 5,350 and there were 472 motorcycle user fatalities in 2009, which was also 4 per cent lower than during 2008.

   
   Improving motorcycle safety has always been an important part of the industry's agenda and the MCI works closely with the Government and other relevant bodies in the motorcycle community to find ways to improve safety in a number of ways.

   
   The Police BikeSafe scheme; intelligent enforcement, engineering improvements and the commitment from trainers to improving standards, have all contributed to a safer motorcycling environment. 

    

   Steve Kenward, CEO of the MCI, said, "Although there is still a strong concern about the number of motorcycle casualties, the fact remains that year after year motorcycling continues to get safer in terms of the likelihood of having an accident. The reported fall in motorcycle fatalities during 2009 is welcome, but we can not be complacent about this - there are simply far too many people dying in accidents -  and we still have much more work to do. The MCI and the rest of the motorcycle community will continue to work hard to improve safety and ensure that we get full Government support for a more rounded approach to road-user safety. The full integration of motorcycles into mainstream transport policy and local transport plans, which the Government is now backing, can only help maintain and improve on this reduction in casualties and needs to be a key priority along with improvements to rider training delivery and participation."

    

   1) Transport Statistics Bulletin - Reported Road Casualties Great Britain Main Results: 2009  - Department of Transport

4. Driver who blocked overtaking biker is jailed

   Posted on 8:08am Wednesday 5th May 2010

   A car driver who moved his car to prevent a motorcyclist overtaking has been jailed for eight months for dangerous driving.

   Father of two Andrew Sherratt, 32, forced 49 year old Andrew Morris, into the path of oncoming traffic and suffered multiple arm and wrist fractures, on Burtonwood Road in Warrington Road, Cheshire, on July 23, 2009.

   The Rider went to overtake the vechicle as the road was wide enough for the motorcycle to overtake the car, even though there was some traffic coming in the other direction. The rider believes the defendant deliberately turned his vehicle into the centre of the road causing impact with the bike and forcing him across the central white line into the oncoming traffic.

   However the driver has stated that he did not think there was room for the motorcycle to overtake him and so decided to block the gap. He now wishes he had done the opposite and moved towards the kerb and maintains that he was trying to decrease the danger rather than cause an incident.

   The Judge, David Hale, at Warrington Crown Court, summing up mentioned that any time someone gets in a car they are taking control of half a tonne of lethal metal. His decision to block the rider had disastrous consequences.

   Sherratt, from Warrington, was handed a two and a half year driving ban on top of his jail sentence on Tuesday.

   This is a regular occurance to Riders and to many the sentence is not enough, however it is 'a sentence' and hopefully one which may put a stop to this behaviour and prevent further incidents.

5. Motorcycle Speed Accident Scenarios

   Posted on 12:00am Tuesday 2nd Feb 2010

   Motorcyclists are at a much greater risk of death or serious injury than other road users. Despite forming only 1% of road traffic in the UK, motorcyclists account for 18% of road deaths and serious injuries. It is a sad yet true fact that 1 in 4 Motorcyclists will be involved in an accident and of those only 1 in 5 will be at fault.*

   It will be of no surprise that the most common reason for a motorcycle accident, is the failure of a motorist to see the motorcyclist, with 66% of all motorcycles involved in accidents being reported as 'at a junction' ** . When there was no other involvement the rate was at 23%. The main reasons being failing to look properly, loss of control, carelessness or in a hurry and even peer pressure when riding in a group.

   Motorcycle riders and passengers have the right to complain for a large amount of these accidents.

   Speed Accident Scenarios include:

   Car driver was executing a 3 point turn. A speeding motorcyclist came around the bend and is faced with the car blocking his side of the carriageway.
   A motorcyclist is involved in a collision with a car on a country road. The accident occurs on a 90 degree blind bend. The car was on the wrong side of the road, but the motorcyclist approached the bend at excessive speed denying him the opportunity to control his machine and take evasive action.
   
   Other areas for following up a claim include:

   Spillage of diesel
   Debris and mud
   Missing grid covers
   Potholes 

   We have included on the website a select group of specialist Solicitors who can deal with your claims for compensation arising from your unfortunate Motorcycle accident, rather than be dealt with by solicitors who are used to dealing with the buying and selling of property, and not dealing with serious road accidents, especially ones involving Motorcycles.
   
   * Taken from the DfT Compendium of Motorcycling Statistics: 2008 Edition
   
   ** Taken from IHIE Guidelines for Motorcycling