Warning to bikers as tragic toll tops 3,000

MORE than 3,000 motorcyclists have been killed or seriously injured on the region’s roads since 2007, new figures reveal.

Road safety teams say the popularity of riding routes in Yorkshire and the Humber has increased the risk of accidents and meant hundreds of riders and passengers are hurt every year.

Though the number of deaths and serious injuries has declined since 2007, when 660 were recorded, there were still hundreds of incidents in the region last year.

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The vulnerability of motorbikes on busy roads means accidents are much more likely to result in serious injuries, with riders 50 times more likely to be killed than car drivers.

In South Yorkshire alone four motorcyclists were killed and a further 89 seriously injured in 2012, according to provisional police data.

Officials hope to change the behaviour of bikers and car drivers with a range of awareness campaigns and by taking enforcement action to crack down on dangerous drivers.

Humberside Police Deputy Chief Constable David Griffin said: “We urge riders in our region to help by riding in a safe and legal manner. We have some great riding routes to share and would like you to ride home safely to your family each and every time.

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“We will not tolerate anti-social riding and the region’s police are working together with road safety partnerships to eradicate this problem.

“This small minority will be caught and may be diverted to education courses where possible. However, extreme riding is unacceptable; we will prosecute and dangerous riders will be targeted by officers from all forces”

BikeSafe workshop sessions are being run across the region and the national BikeSafe Show at Doncaster Racecourse takes place on the weekend of June 8 and 9.

South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership has also organised a safety day in Rotherham on Saturday for bikers to meet experts and try out a range of equipment to improve safety.