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Warning after spate of bike deaths

There have been five motorcyclist deaths in the last two weeks - and 12 since January - on roads in mid and north Wales.

Paul Cheshire, co-coordinator of the North Wales Police Bikesafe campaign, has recommended that all riders should attend an advanced biking course. The risk of death for a motorcyclist was 30 times greater than for a car driver, he said.

The former police officer, who is the only civilian Bikesafe co-coordinator in Wales, said he hoped the fatalities would raise awareness of safety within the biking community.

Mt Cheshire said that a spate of biker fatalities normally followed a spell of good weather, as many bikers only venture out on sunny days. "Bike riding is a spasmodic occupation as not many people use them to go to work every day," he said. "Nationally the average mileage for a bike is 3,000 miles a year and some riders do just 200-300 miles.

"We should all take responsibility for ourselves, and ask ourselves if we have to appropriate level of skill required," he added.

For the full story go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk

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