At the start of the new bike season, Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership attended two biker events over the weekend of 6 and 7 April to engage with bikers about bike maintenance and to encourage bikers to refresh their riding skills.   

On 6 April, Warwickshire road safety partners joined Leicestershire Road Safety Partnership at an emergency services open day held at the Triumph Factory in Hinckley to greet more than 3000 people throughout the day including many Warwickshire residents. As a result, on the day 299 people were signposted to Warwickshire Biker Down and Warwickshire BikeSafe.   

The day also offered the opportunity to engage with our neighbouring fire, police, ambulance services as well as Mental Health Motorcycle, the Air Ambulance, National Highways, Blood Bike and many more.    

The following day, the annual bike meet event at Caffeine and Machine in Ettington on 7 April provided Warwickshire road safety partners the occasion to talk to the public about upskilling both bikers and drivers to better anticipate each other’s movements, especially at junctions and when filtering.    

The event at this popular biker meeting point provided the opportunity for road safety partners to talk to 117 bikers about what Warwickshire offers as support for motorcycle riders.  

Bike hangers were also placed on all bikes to promote BikeSafe and Biker Down in Warwickshire.   

Those in attendance included Warwickshire Police, BikeSafe, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue and Warwickshire County Council Road Safety education team, along with representatives from Coventry & Warwickshire Advanced Motorcyclists, South Warwickshire Advanced Riders and Blood Bikes. 

Sergeant Scott Good said “With the weather warming up, we are starting to see more bikers out on the roads so this was an ideal time to chat with bikers about the free and subsidised bike skills training available to help them refresh and improve their motorcycle skills.   As well as upskilling, we are asking bikers to please take responsibility for their own safety on the roads by not speeding or taking risks and wearing appropriate safety gear.   

“In around half the collisions involving a motorcyclist in 2022, the motorcyclist was going straight ahead when the collision occurred and we are also reminding drivers to take longer to look for bikes on the roads, especially at junctions.“ 

During the events, partners promoted the popular Warwickshire BikeSafe Course where riders are observed by police riders to get individual real time feedback on their skills and riding behaviour through Bluetooth kits. Book a space here https://bit.ly/3wHSDo1 Partners also encouraged bikers to sign up for Biker Down a FREE three hour course delivered by Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service that helps give riders an awareness of what to do if you are first at the scene of a motorcycle collision. Book a space here https://bit.ly/3dMr1mq        

If you are unable to attend a course in person, there are lots of other courses available including FREE online BikeSafe motorcycle skills training to use as a skills refresher, identify potential knowledge gaps, or if you are a new biker, to provide a good overview of the skills needed. Those who complete the training will also be entered into a FREE prize draw to win biker related goodies – you can sign up here https://bikesafe.co.uk/warwickshire/skilful-safe-seen  

Post-test motorcycle training is also available via IAM, RoSPA and the DVSA Enhanced Rider Scheme.  

Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership is also sharing the following tips to help bikers stay safe whilst enjoying the great routes we have in Warwickshire. 

• Always gear up for a ride – good quality protective clothing and helmets help protect you if you are involved in a collision.   
• Just like a car you should regularly maintain and check your bike.   
• Before riding check your tyres, lights and fluids and look for signs of any oil, fuel or air leaks   
• Make sure you can be seen by other road users. Wear hi-vis and turn your headlights on. Position yourself on the road so you can be seen and make sure you do not ride in drivers’ blind spots.   
• If you are riding in a group, ride your own ride and don’t be tempted to ride beyond your capabilities to keep up.  You will only be a minute or two behind them when you get to your destination. 

Photo credit to Northamptonshire Police drone lead PC Alan Hincks.