Suffolk motorcyclists given police advice ahead of summer

Suffolk police said there have been a total of seven fatal road crashes so far this year, two of which have been motorcyclists.

The most recent fatal crash involving a motorcyclist happened on Sunday, May 19 in Great Waldingfield where a man in his 60s died and another biker, aged in his 40s, was injured.

Police have reissued annual advice to motorcyclists as the summer, where crashes are more common, approaches.

Inspector Gary Miller, of the Roads and Armed Policing Team, said: "In terms of the number of miles that motorcyclists travel overall, they represent a disproportionate figure in terms of the fatal and serious road traffic collisions.

"It's quite clear that you don't have as much protection on a motorcycle as you do in a car.

Inspector Gary Miller (Image: Suffolk Constabulary)

"A minor collision between two cars people could walk away from with no injury or low injury, but if it involves a motorcycle the impact of the injury is always going to be more significant."

He explained that, during the warmer months when motorcyclists may be more likely to ride, they typically see a rise in incidents. 

"It's something we prepare for each year. However, we just felt over the last couple of weeks that the number has been quite high," Inspector Miller said.

"If we could see a pattern to say a particular junction or a particular road was dangerous because we are seeing the same incidents occur over and over again we would deal with that with partners in terms of looking at the road layout, extra signage etc.

"However, we don't see that - we see each circumstance and collision, fatality or serious injury has its own bespoke set of circumstances around it.

"As with all collisions they are generally avoidable. Speed can be a factor, failing to look on the part of a motorcyclist or another motorist is quite often a factor." 

Giving advice to motorcyclists he said reading signage, riding within their ability and to the conditions of the road are amongst some of the most important factors.

"This would be sticking to speed limits and making sure that if you're out in inclement weather of any description that you're wearing high visibility clothing, decent protective clothing, and adjusting your speed and driving style to whatever the conditions are," he said.

"We just need to make sure that we are looking out for each other on the roads, taking that extra bit of time at junctions when we're pulling out, when we're overtaking, when we're changing direction, checking mirrors, just being cautious around other vehicles." 

A Suffolk police spokesperson said motorcyclists, who make up just 1% of the motoring population, are 16 times more likely to be injured in a serious or fatal collisions than car drivers.

They said, while they appreciate riders cannot control the actions of other road users, there are some measures they can take including thoroughly checking bikes for mechanical defects, wearing the appropriate protective gear, allowing plenty of time for journeys, familiarising themselves with their bike, and riding to the law and conditions of the road.

Riders are also encouraged to consider participating in a ‘Safe Rider’ workshop comprising of a series of downloads to keep, a two-and-a-half hour evening session and five-hour road session.