Study shows that riders misjudge real hazards

The Shiny Side Up Partnership has published a report showing that sports bike riders are unaware of the real hazards they face on the road.

The Shiny Side Up Partnership was initiated in 2001 in response to a significant increase in fatal crashes involving the riders of sportsbikes in Nottinghamshire. The partnership now comprises road safety practitioners in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, along with Nottinghamshire Police.

During the 2002/2003 racing season at Donington Park the Partnership carried out the Too Hot To Handle survey, which involved questioning 370 riders.

The report examines the profile of sports bike riders and their attitudes towards riding, their behaviour and their perception of the behaviour of other drivers, their knowledge of publicity and educational campaigns, and their responses to these campaigns.
The survey revealed few surprises.

The Partnership’s original campaign was based on statistics showing that the average age of riders who died was 35 years, and that they mostly rode bikes of 600cc and above. The survey identified that these are the machines of choice for male riders between the ages of 30-39 years, and that riders use their machines mostly for sport and leisure.

Half of the riders surveyed had partners and dependants - a factor that might be expected to have a significant effect on their riding behaviour. But even among these riders only one in three expressed any concern about leaving partners or dependants to cope without them.

While a third of those surveyed said they didn’t worry about being in a crash, two thirds were concerned about being killed or incapacitated - and in many cases equally concerned about damaging their bike!

Many riders believe that other drivers are a major source of danger to them – but in reality, rider error/loss of control is, more often than not, a factor in crashes involving bikers.

Riders in the survey appear to underestimate the hazard potential of rural roads, bends and loss of control - but the statistical evidence shows these to be significant.

Riders also misjudged dangers when asked about the physical factors contributing to crashes. They cited oil and diesel spillage as being a major cause of crashes. This information led the Partnership to widen its research into KSI accidents to check whether oil and diesel spillage featured prominently. This did not prove to be the case with only one per cent of crashes attributable to this factor. In fact 82 per cent of reported accidents occurred on dry roads.

In summary, riders believe that they are most at risk from other driver actions and slippery or contaminated road surfaces. They fail to recognise that by far the greatest risk of fatal and serious injury is associated with bends on rural roads - the very routes they seek out when riding for sport and leisure.

For further information or a copy of the report contact Sheila Ormerod, Sheila.Ormerod@btopenworld.com, 01623 631641 or visit www.thebikereview.com.