Roads including Greater London’s Lambeth A23 named as dangerous for motorcyclists– findings revealed as Swinton Insurance announces partnership with IAM RoadSmart 

Ten roads across Britain have been named as the most dangerous for motorcyclists, including the North West’s High Peak A57 and London’s Lambeth A23, according to government data analysed by Swinton Insurance. In total in 2016, 118 accidents involving motorcycles happened on these ten roads.

The research compiled by Swinton, the UK's largest high street insurance broker, reveals the motorcyclists most likely to be in an accident by age and motorcycle type across each region in the UK.

The national average showed motorcyclists aged 25 are at most risk of an accident. Men were also 93% more likely to be involved in accidents than women across the UK.

The conditions most likely to cause an accident on a motorcycle have also been revealed. Motorcyclists are most likely to have an accident in daylight, travelling in a 30mph zone with dry road conditions. Accidents are also more likely to happen on a Wednesday, according to the Swinton Insurance findings from government data.

Motorbike engine size also played an important factor in accidents across the country, with 44% of accidents occurring on a bike with an engine size of 50 to 125cc. A further 37% of accidents involved a motorbike with an engine size of over 500cc.

A-Roads were found to be the most dangerous, with 79% of accidents occurring there compared to just 21% on other types of routes. Most accidents also happened during fine weather conditions and more accidents also occurred in urban areas. With hazards from hairpin bends to ensuring a motorbike is ready for the road, there are many tricky hurdles for a motorcyclist to overcome on roads across Great Britain.

Top 10 most dangerous regional roads for motorcyclists across the UK

To coincide with UN Global Road Safety Week 2017, which begins on Monday 8^th May, and to help raise awareness the importance of motorcycle safety, Swinton Insurance has announced a partnership with leading road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart. The charity have contributed guide content, offering practical advice on issues such as filtering, biking in seasonal weather conditions, as well as dealing with vulnerable road users. There are also top tips for riders returning to the saddle. 

Along with IAM RoadSmart, Swinton Insurance has also teamed up with a panel of experienced motorcyclists, who have provided commentary for biking on some of the UKs’ most dangerous roads. They have shared practical advice on issues such as tyre safety, handling a motorbike, and how to bike in tricky conditions. The bikers’ commentary also highlights key watch outs when biking on the most dangerous regional roads.  Yorkshire / London

The free guides and an interactive map that shows the most dangerous regional roads across the UK and its regions is now available here

Rodney Kumar IAM RoadSmart said: “We often find that while drivers and motorcyclists strive to be as safe as possible, some find it a challenge to understand exactly how to do so. And as time passes after our driving tests, some of the simple tips we learnt to help stay safe can fade into the background. That’s why it’s so important to offer useful and easily digestible information on how to be a safer driver. We are excited to partner with Swinton to help spread the word about national motorcycle safety”

Dan Agate Swinton Insurance said: “Motorcycle safety should always be front of mind for any rider, but awareness events like the UN Global Road Safety Week are great reminders of just how imperative it is to do what we can to stay safe on the road. And talking about it now to riders in across the nation, ahead of summer months, is really important. We hope our interactive map and guides help people to think more about safety with every journey they make, come rain or shine.”

Swinton Insurance has been helping people find insurance for more than 50 years by using panels of insurers to find the right cover for individual needs without compromising on price.  

www.swinton.co.uk    

The British Motor Museum is to host the Harley Davidson Sportster at 60 Show on Saturday 24 June. The show, organised by American-V Magazine, will celebrate this iconic American middleweight tourer and the world’s fastest production motorcycle. On display will be the largest number of Sportsters gathered together in one place outside America!

The show will feature a display from Warr’s Harley-Davidson, Europe’s oldest dealer as well as bikes from private collections and owner/riders. Visitors will be able to track the evolution of the motorcycle from birth to the present day and see the 7 bike model range on the stands of Harley-Davidson’s UK dealerships, plus race bikes, chops, bobbers and a host of bikes based round the Sportster engine.

Harley-Davidson will bring their “Jumpstart” rolling road where novices can run a Harley-Davidson Sportster through the gears under power while more experienced riders can test their riding skills on the Motorcycle Gymkhana. Other activities include technical talks and watching unseen footage of the legendary Cal Rayborn working with the Harley-Davidson race team at Bonneville in 1970 where they set a speed record of 265.492mph! Authorised dealers and nationally recognised custom builders will also be available to talk to inside the Museum along with dedicated trading areas outside. Camping is available for the Friday and Saturday nights along with a bar and bands to add to the atmosphere.

Tom Caren, Show Manager at the British Motor Museum stated “We are delighted to be celebrating the 60th anniversary of this iconic motorcyle which is still in production today. The show is a must for anyone who rides, has ever dreamed of riding a Harley or wants to learn more about them.  Added to that will be the iconic lazy sound of Harleys coming and going during the course of the day”.

Tickets are available from the Museum website and cost £9 for the day in advance, £14 on the gate, or with camping from Friday evening to Sunday morning cost £25 in advance or £35 on the gate. All tickets include entry to the Museum and Collections Centre. To find out more about the British Motor Museum please visit the website at www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk  or call 01926 641188.

Kawasaki riders claimed podium finishes in all three race classes yesterday as the racing at the NW200 commenced – including the first International Road Race victory for the all new Kawasaki 650.

In the Supersport class, JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider James Hillier achieved the first Kawasaki podium of the evening after battling for the race win, he crossed the line in an impressive third position.

In the Superstock class, Dean Harrison showed his Silicone Engineering Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR had the pace to fight at the front as he battled hard with Lee Johnston, finishing in third place as the chequered flag was waved.

The last race of the evening was the Lightweight race, in which it was a clean sweep for Kawasaki, taking a top-ten lock down as the race ended.

Lightweight race winner, Martin Jessop, was aboard the brand-new 650cc machine which meant the 2017 model took its first win in this competitive class. Powered by a compact 650cc parallel twin, liquid-cooled engine both the Z650, and its sporty-faired brother the Ninja 650, are brand new for 2017.

Racing Co-ordinator for Kawasaki Motors UK, Ross Burridge, said: “What a great evening for Kawasaki! The Supersport class isn’t even James’ strongest, so to get a podium finish is fantastic. Dean is also continuing to prove he is a force to be reckoned with in all classes, so we can’t wait to see what they can both do on Saturday. The highlight has to be the Lightweight race though, a great win for Martin on the new 650, and taking a clean sweep of the top 10 places is awesome. We are now expecting to see many more new 650 Kawasaki’s – especially the Ninja 650 – on the Lightweight grid at the upcoming TT in June.  For now, let’s hope the weather holds for more great NW200 racing on Saturday.”

For more information on the Kawasaki range, visit: www.kawasaki.co.uk

Check out the latest MotoGP Championship 2017 news here

Sam Lowes is also satisfied, able to find the pace he had demonstrated during practice at Jerez. He and his team had some important confirmation today, with his best lap in 1'40.572 out of a total of 64 laps done.

ALEIX ESPARGARO'

“I am satisfied with this test. We tried a lot of things and I was able to be more competitive than I was in the race yesterday. We are working to better understand how the bike behaves in load transfers. In fact, the RS-GP is extremely stable in braking, but it suffers when I release the brake. The front tyre with the more rigid carcass provides benefits in this sector. I think it may be interesting to try it again. Overall, we took a step forward in terms of getting to know the bike and we have a lot of data to work on from now until the next race.”

SAM LOWES

“Today we worked mainly on understanding what happened yesterday. In fact, I started with the bike in identical conditions to the race, immediately improving my times. It is strange. It could be due both to the track conditions and to my lack of experience. The important thing was getting back to lapping at the times I was doing during practice. I also tested a new swingarm that should increase stability, but I think it may work better on tracks with more grip. Both the new front tyre that Michelin brought and the downforce fairing gave positive signals. They are not massive differences, but in any case it is a tangible contribution to my feeling with the RS-GP. Honestly I think this has been the best test for me so far”.

Check out the latest MotoGP Championship 2017 news here