Most fatal and serious motorbike crashes in Dorset caused by rider error, research project says Most fatal and serious motorbike crashes in Dorset caused by rider error, research project says MOST fatal and serious motorbike crashes in Dorset are caused by the riders themselves according to new statistics. Rider error was to blame for three-quarters of the accidents analysed by the Alliance Road Policing team. And men aged between 40 and 60, riding powerful motorbikes, are most at risk of death or critical injury. Police data was studied from around 50 accidents which took place on the county’s roads from 2010-2014. Medical data covering a two-year period was also analysed, covering those who died or suffered very serious injury. The vast majority of riders were male and a quarter of those killed or critically injured were riding in convoy with friends. Motorbikes over 500cc were involved in eight out of ten such crashes and half of riders affected were aged between 40 and 59-years-old. Shocking figures also revealed that a quarter of those killed or seriously injured were motorcyclists although they account for just one per cent of total miles travelled. Of 87 fatalities, 21 of those killed were motorcyclists. There were 1,010 people seriously injured, 334 motorcyclists. Inspector Matt Butler and Dr Ian Mew from Dorset County Hospital led the research, which has coincided with a new operation aimed at educating motorcyclists and reducing casualties. “The warm weather means more bikes on the road. Throughout the summer, Operation Wheels will be encouraging bikers to ride safe and drivers to ‘think bike’,” said Inspector Butler. “Some small changes can make bikers safer, more aware and more obvious to other road users. Even the most experienced riders can benefit from refresher sessions to improve their bike skills.” He said roads which have seen the most collisions will be subject to extra police patrols. And he added: “It’s just as important to educate other road users because while riders were at fault in three-quarters of cases, that means that they were not to blame in a quarter of such accidents. Two-thirds of motorbike crashes in Dorset take place on rural roads and a third in towns. Peter Rodger, head of motorcycle riding at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said serious crashes caused by motorcyclists are more likely in rural areas than in urban ones. “It’s partly because motorcycles are used more for leisure purposes in rural areas. Out in the countryside, riders are enjoying twisty, country lanes, but it’s not what they’ve been trained to handle.” He added the best way for a motorcyclist to avoid an accident was advanced training. “Very often you get people riding much more powerful bikes than they learned to ride on, or people riding in different circumstances than they were trained in. “Motorcyclists should take advanced riding lessons and learn to understand the road environment and how they can manage it better. A substantial proportion of accidents happen when the bike is capable of doing something the rider isn’t – like going round a corner quickly. “In urban areas in particular, riders need to concentrate on making sure they’re visible and have been seen.”
Read that this morning. Dr Mew assists on the Dorset Bikesafe course, showing people how to give basic first aid and manage the accident scene itself. He's a biker and is on the Dorset/Somerset Air Ambulance so no doubt sees a lot of these up close !
The worrying thing is I can think of two potential fatalities over the last few years that were rider errors!! sad but true and the last one was horrific! It was only by chance a paramedic had just finished her shift and was traveling home on the same stretch of road and pretty much saved his life!
Interesting age range there though.... Think common perception is that it's us youngsters jumping on big bikes we can't handle, causing all the accidents but saying that, I think bikes generally have shifter up the age range due to affordability and lifestyle etc. However I bet the stats would be similar for car fatalities or helicopter crashed etc etc etc.... Usually human error in all of them
Yeah human error causes over 90% of all road traffic accidents sadly, if people would only ride/drive with in their means and use good obs and situational awareness we would have a lot less deaths / serious injuries Only last year we were following a biker around some twisties (not high speed) when he suddenly panicked braked on a bend and ended up in the ditch, lucky was ok and a right hander, or he may have ended up under an incoming vehicle There are loads of cases of cars pulling out of or turning right into juncs that have also caused bike injuries and deaths, so it's not just bikers faults!
From personal experience, I would suggest that those figures are pretty much replicated throughout many areas of the UK, only the large Metropolitan areas differing. The main issue here is that large numbers of bikers in that age range have returned to motorcycling, have held full licenses since their teens or early 20s, not ridden for many years, and have been able to go straight onto the latest crop of high powered bikes, that are in real terms of pounds against power, massively cheaper than car equivalents, and far more powerful than the bikes they used to ride. I think the term is 'living the dream', which is rather ironic seeing that so many have died trying to live it. As we all know anyone including your granny can probably go fast on a superbike in a straight line, but that first right or left hander is a slightly different proposition.
35 years of riding this year and count myself very lucky indeed! I had the two stroke days! The days before Speed cameras and the roads were empty and the roads were in better condition too.... Still love riding in Europe but really starting to think this place is finished with having any kind of pleasure from riding....
Terrible statistics and every one a tragedy. It's very easy to get judgemental about this sort of thing but for all of us that throw a leg over a bike it's a case of "there but for the grace of God go I" regardless of how good a rider we think we are.
I'm the other way round, sort of. Been driving cars for 25 yrs and had lost my love for the roads until I discovered bikes 3 years ago. But I much prefer 6 am sunny weekend mornings when no one is up yet or the occasional afternoon blast before the school run mums are out. I don't think those stats take into account the amount of grockle holiday sat navers crawling about, caravaners and general 80 yr old doddering drivers that Dorset has !
there are still less people killed on uk roads today (1700) and we have double the vehicle numbers we had when I was on my moped at 16yrs old, in fact if we had the same death rate now as back then we have about 6x as many deaths, so now is a good time to be on uk roads ;-) but I prefer the track when possible
It is sad so many bikers get seriously injured and killed. Bikers are far more vulnerable by the very nature that a bike offers no collision protection compared to a car/van/Lorry etc. It would therefore be logical we suffer greater physical risk when involved in an accident. It would be interesting for them to have done a comparison with other vehicles ie how many car accidents were caused by driver error.......my guess would be quite a lot. I attended road accident frequently over a 22 year period and can not remember one that was not caused by driver error in one way or another. We all make the occasional rider error on our bikes, I know I do , but I am sure most of us have our safety compromised more by other road users than ourselves. I regularly have to avoid getting hit 10 times more than any mistakes I make.
Agree entirely , had two 125 Lc , took test had a 350 power valve . After 2 years took me car test and had a 25 year break from bikes. 4 years ago bought an R6 . I have to say it was a rocket ship compared to anything I'd been on before. Swapped that for a blade, now on blade number 2. Did take the bike safe course a few weeks ago , quite useful I have to say
Generally a case of confidence outstripping competence.... But...... There are still those occasions where the actions of other road users are significant causation factors... Advanced riding isn't all about Tartan zip up slippers and dribbling out of the corners of the mouth you know... It allows you to manage risk differently, ride progressively whilst staying within your own limitations, but it also increases your own limitations quite significantly...
I've had 3 accident and non serious. first was a car driver doing a u tunr in front of me. Second was hitting a huge patch of diesel and last one on my H2 was a guy changing lanes without looking.
Track Riding has made me a better/safer and slower Road Rider! Once you've got up 2 speed on Track U know the Roads can't compete so U slow down and take in the views with the result U have far more in reserve should the need arise for evasive action.