Motorcycle accident victim James Andrews with his sisters (from left) Cheryl, Lesley and Julie in the last photograph showing them all together.

To Die For? enlists support of bereaved family

Bikers riding through Derbyshire will be targeted with road safety messages over the next six months as part of the council’s third ‘To Die For?’ campaign, which will run for six months across spring and summer 2004.

This year in addition to roadside posters, a radio campaign and TV and press coverage, a bereaved Derbyshire family will talk about the experiences of losing their son and brother in a bike accident.

James Andrews’ mum Josie and his sister Julie Herbert approached the council earlier this year in the hope their story could help prevent other families from suffering the grief and heartache they have experienced since he died nearly 18 months ago.

"I don’t live any more – I just exist," Josie Andrews says as she gazes lovingly at the family portrait smiling down at her from above the fireplace at her home in Shirebrook (see pic). It shows her three daughters Cheryl, Lesley and Julie and her only son James happy and smiling. Not long after the picture was taken James died in a crash with a car while riding his Kawasaki 1000cc bike in September 2002 - just a week after his 29th birthday.

"There are too many families suffering the heartache of losing loved ones in motorcycle accidents and we hope the campaign will help encourage not only bikers but all motorists and road users to think about their own safety and that of others," said highway safety officer and campaign co-ordinator Rob Bounds.

‘To Die For?’ is backed by the Derby and Derbyshire Motorcycle Forum, which comprises Derbyshire County Council, Derby City Council, Derbyshire police, motorcycle dealers and trainers. It also runs in conjunction with the regional Shiny Side Up Partnership’s (SSUP) ‘Think Bike’ campaign, which aims to remind motorists about the vulnerability of motorcyclists and to look out for them on the road.

The campaign was launched earlier this month in a photocall with cabinet member for public protection and transport Councillor Walter Burrows, members of the highway safety team and the bereaved family (see pic).

Two eye-catching roadside posters will be placed at around 40 sites across Derbyshire where there have been a high number of motorcycle accidents over the past three years and regionally by the SSUP’s council and police partners in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland. This year the campaign will also aim to emphasise to all riders the importance of taking additional training to help them handle powerful bikes.

For further information contact Liz Tomes on 01629 585031 or liz.tomes@derbyshire.gov.uk