Ryedale | Archive | 2003 | August | 06
From the Gazette & Herald, first published Wednesday 6th Aug 2003.
FOR years, motorcyclists have flocked to North Yorkshire to test themselves against the twists and turns of the many country roads dotted around the county.
Because of the largely rural nature of the UK's largest county, bikers know they can experience the thrill of reaching high speeds and putting themselves and their high performance machines to the limit.
But the reputation of roads like the B1257 Helmsley to Stokesley road - known as the Helmsley TT - also extends to North Yorkshire Police and the accident and emergency wards of local hospitals.
For some of the bikers never make it to the ends of these roads. Travelling at speeds of up to 140mph, some are unable to deal with the unexpected features that country roads have, and it too often leads to death.
There have been more than 80 deaths on North Yorkshire's roads in the past six years, including many riders who come from places as far away as West Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Various efforts have been made by police to reduce these figures but the sheer size of the county makes this job even more difficult. In 2002, 23 people lost their lives and in the first six months of 2003, ten people were killed before the most popular biking summer months had started. The death toll for this year is now nearly 20.
Sergeant John Lumbard, from North Yorkshire Police road policing group, says there are a number of factors why the county has such a big problem with motorcycle-related crashes and deaths.
"It is obvious that motorcyclists are attracted to North Yorkshire because we have many sweeping, quiet country roads with tight, unexpected bends, that, by their nature, are different from roads you would find in towns and cities," he explains. This is coupled with the fact there has been a boom in the sale of powerful sports bikes because people now have more disposable income and they are also looking to increase the value of their leisure time.
"Then there is the very small element of motorcyclists who treat almost every ride as a white-knuckle experience and go as fast as they can so that they are practically seeking out a near-death experience."
Sgt Lumbard says many crashes and collisions are caused as a result of motorcyclists not being familiar with a particular road. For instance, they may misread the line of the road and not realise that the edges are not curbed, but gravelled, or they may be unaware about the amount of animals and wildlife that can wander on to country roads.
He adds: "Bikes are a lot more safe than they used to be, but, unlike cars, they still do not have air bags or crumple zones, so if the motorcyclists come off at any sort of high speed, there is a strong chance they will be injured or worse."
Sgt Lumbard is quick to point out that North Yorkshire Police is not anti-motorcyclist - in fact many road policing officers are also keen motorcyclists in their spare time - and they are only keen to target those who break the law, either because they drive too fast or fit illegal modifications to their bikes, such as race cans to make their bikes noisier, or chase plates, which are illegal number plates that are difficult for cameras to read because they are so small.
One of the measures taken by the force to educate motorcyclists is the national Bikesafe initiative. This involves police officers passing on their knowledge, skills and experience to help people become safer and more competent riders, with the overall aim of helping to lower the number of motorcycle ride casualties.
In terms of enforcement, initiatives being carried out by the force this year include high-visibility patrols on known biker routes, using video and high-performance, marked Subaru police patrol cars, and examining motorcycles, with the help of vehicle examiners from the Vehicle Inspectorate, for things like defective tyres and illegal registration plates.
Road policing officers are, for the first time, also this year handing out a road safety awareness video to motorcyclists who are stopped after committing offences. The video, What if?, has been produced by the Driving Standards Agency and is endorsed by such groups as the Association of Chief Police Officers and the British Motorcycle Federation.
Sgt Lumbard says: "The one very important point I would like to stress is that North Yorkshire Police is not anti-bike, but anti-hooligan. Motorcyclists play a huge part in helping the North Yorkshire economy because they stay in our hotels and buy our food, drink and petrol. The vast majority of them are also law-abiding and do not risk their lives or the lives of others.
"The people we want to target are the minority who are very capable of riding at high speeds but who do not appreciate the difference between a race track and a road."
Updated: 11:03 Wednesday, August 06, 2003
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