Time to THINK Bike as weather warms up

Summer’s fast approaching and with it an increase in motorcyclists on our roads enjoying the warmer weather.

This is the perfect time for us to remind bikers and motorists to be vigilant and to stay safe on our roads.

Cheshire Constabulary’s roads policing officers will be out and about on the county’s network ensuring drivers and riders are safe, and continuing to educate road users and enforce the law to drive home the road safety message.

Superintendent Martin Cleworth said: “We want to reduce the number of collisions in Cheshire involving motorcyclists. They make up approximately 1% of all road users but last year alone there were 111 riders killed or seriously injured on our network. This is disproportionate and we want this to change. We need to encourage motorists to be more vigilant and recognise the vulnerability of those on two wheels especially at junctions – and make sure those on bikes are complying with speed limits to keep themselves safe.

“We’ll be out on marked and unmarked bikes and in patrol cars with video enabled technology on key routes which we’ve identified and those caught driving dangerously or in an anti-social manner will be prosecuted.”

While it is only a tiny proportion of riders, each year communities raise concerns regarding anti-social and dangerous riding. Last year, as part of an operation, officers witnessed and prosecuted 39 riders for dangerous riding. Sentences include disqualification, fines, community service and suspended prison sentences and we will be continuing with the operation this year to continue our message.

Supt Cleworth concluded: “We want people to enjoy using Cheshire’s roads together and be considerate of other users. In support of this we have recently launched the ‘dash cam’ initiative. This enables anyone with footage of offending drivers to submit it via our website with a statement of the facts and then we will, where appropriate, take the prosecution forward from there. This is an important scheme that we want the public to support as it sends a strong message to those flouting the law that they never know who will be recording their actions.”

Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane said: “Road safety is one of the issues that residents tell me they are concerned about, so it’s great to see that officers are continuing to ensure that road safety is a priority for all our communities.

“I have great admiration for the work undertaken by our roads policing team, who deal with thousands of incidents every year. However, much of their work could be entirely avoidable if all motorists, whether they are driving cars or riding motorbikes, took extra care when out on Cheshire’s roads.”

If you have captured any dangerous riding or driving on a helmet or dash cam please call 101 or visit
https://www.cheshire.police.uk/advice-and-support/roads-and-vehicle-safety/submit-dashcam-footage/ for us to investigate.

Want to get some tips on safer riding and improve your skills? Visit www.bikesafe.co.uk for more information.