Crawley MP, Henry Smith, has welcomed a new THINK! road safety initiative to encourage motorcyclists to improve their defensive riding skills which launched by the Government today.

Henry said:

“Motorcyclists make up just 1 per cent of the traffic on our roads but last year accounted for 19 per cent of deaths. So reducing the number of bikers killed on our roads has to be a key priority. I’m pleased that, in parallel with this initiative, Ministers are also running a THINK BIKER campaign encouraging car drivers to take longer to look for motorcyclists.

“This latest campaign urges bikers to ride defensively – this includes taking a ‘lifesaver glance’ around before manoeuvring and giving yourself time to react to potential hazards. Any message that has the potential to reduce the number of tragedies on our roads involving motorcyclists and save lives is worth hammering home.”

The ‘stay in control’ campaign - which has been developed with partners from the motorcycle industry - advises motorcyclists to ride defensively and seek further training to sharpen their skills. Posters, leaflets and other promotional material will be distributed to hundreds of motorcycle dealerships and retailers across the UK. The campaign will run throughout the peak riding season this spring and summer, when, historically, the number of motorcyclists killed and seriously injured on the roads sees an increase.

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