Memorandum from the British Motorcyclists
Federation (RS 41)
The British Motorcyclists Federation currently
represents 92,000 members across the UK and across all walks of
life. It was formed in 1960 to represent the views of the ordinary,
law-abiding motorcyclist.
To what extent have targets for casualty reduction
been a useful tool for focusing professional activity?
1. Although targets are not normally accepted
wholeheartedly in other walks of life, targets in casualty reduction
are widely accepted. Much has been done to reduce road casualties
over the last few years and this is to be commended.
2. However, often simple reductions of headline
figures do not take into account the changing situation on the
ground. Over the last 10 years, motorcycle usage has risen exponentially
with registrations and annual mileage increasing by over 60% and
37% respectively. During this time, fatalities have remained at
around 600 per year. We believe that the Government's Motorcycling
Strategy and similar initiatives by some local authorities have
been instrumental in ensuring that this figure did not also rise
by 35-60%.
What further measures need to be adopted to reduce
deaths and injuries arising from drinking and driving?
3. Motorcyclists are under-represented in
drink-drive statistics. Nevertheless, they are often victims of
drink-drivers. Therefore, we support measures designed to tackle
drink-drivers. However, there are others who are better placed
to answer this question.
How does Great Britain compare with other EU countries
in its approach to reducing deaths and injuries?
4. Great Britain is still one of the best
countries in the world with regards to road safety.
5. However, Britain lags behind several
other countries with regards to motorcyclist safety. For example,
wire-rope barriers are still being installed in Britain despite
countries such as the Netherlands and Norway banning them on the
grounds of their disproportionate involvement in motorcyclist
fatalities. To go further, Spain has introduced a separate safety
standard specifically for motorcyclists for its safety barriers.
Portugal has made it a legal requirement to install these safety
barriers.
6. By comparison, Spain has nearly halved
its number of motorcycle and moped fatalities from 1525 in 1991
to 784 in 2005 and Portugal has reduced its by nearly three quarters
from 891 in 1991 to 234 in 2005. In the same period the number
of UK motorcycle and moped fatalities went up from 566 to 584
(Source: European Commission CARE). Not all of this reduction
is due to safety barrier standards. Safety barrier standards are
a symptom of governments taking motorcyclists' concerns seriously.
7. Bus lane access for motorcyclists is
universal in many European cities such as Barcelona and Stockholm
(and Northern Ireland), but Britain refuses to commit to this
measure despite the fact it is either shown to have neutral or
positive benefits to road safety.
8. Much of this lag seems to stem from the
different view we have in Britain regarding motorcycles. In Britain,
motorcycles are seen as two-wheeled cars and are treated with
the same contempt by policy makers as all motorised transport
if not worse. Elsewhere in Europe, motorcycles are treated as
congestion-busting green alternatives to car use and incentivised.
Policies which may improve motorcyclists' safety are often refused
on the grounds that they may incentivise motorcycle use. Bus lane
access is a clear example of this.
Are there specific blockages caused by shortages
of appropriately trained and skilled staff?
9. There is a severe knowledge gap surrounding
the needs of motorcyclists in highways engineering. The BMF, the
Department of Transport and other stakeholders attempted to address
this situation with the publication of the Institute of Highways
(Incorporated) Engineer's Guidelines for Motorcycling which outlined
various measures to facilitate safer motorcycling. This was completed
as an action of the Government's Motorcycling Strategy.
10. However, uptake of these guidelines
has been slow and their implementation even slower. Largely this
is due to a lack of trained professionals in road engineering
and consequently a shortage of time to read and implement the
guidelines.
What further policies, not already widely used,
might be considered for adoption and what evidence there is for
their success?
11. The largest single cause (roughly a
third) of all motorcycle accidents is car drivers looking but
failing to see a motorcycle. Whilst various engineering measures
have been adopted (motorcycle manufacturers have hard-wired motorcycle
headlights to always be on), simple driver education measures
to be more aware of motorcyclists would make a vast improvement
and would probably be more effective.
12. Various agencies have run "Think
Bike" campaigns which are intended to alleviate the problem
and these have helped reduce the number of casualties over the
last few years.
13. However, drivers need to be better educated
from the very start of their driving careers to be aware of motorcyclists.
14. There is limited evidence to suggest
that involvement of stakeholders can improve motorcyclist casualty
figures. Buckinghamshire County Council has been running a motorcycle
forum since 2003 that involved regular meetings with stakeholders
and this local authority has seen a steady decline in all casualty
figures for motorcyclists. Particularly of note is that fatalities
have declined from 12 in 2003 to 4 in 2006, a reduction of 75%.
Given the rise in popularity of motorcycling, this is a significant
achievement and goes to show what can be done by facilitating
and supporting motorcycling.
What should be the priorities for government in
considering further targets for casualty reduction beyond 2010?
15. Government should, and by extension
local authorities, work with motorcyclists to achieve casualty
reductions for motorcyclists. A separate target for motorcycle
casualties may be required to ensure this happens. The Government's
Motorcycling Strategy is a large step in the right direction.
16. Achieving this target may require a
philosophy change by policy-makers to recognise motorcycling as
a credible alternative to car use and therefore casualty reduction
of motorcyclists is not contrary to "green" policies.
17. Large casualty reductions can be achieved
by having political will and addressing the concerns of stakeholders.
February 2008
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