DVD to sharpen biking skills

9:06pm Wednesday 16th July 2008

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BIKERS are being urged to sharpen up their riding skills to cut the number of accidents on Somerset roads.

Somerset Road Safety Partnership has produced a DVD called Safer Biking, which is being handed out through motorcycle dealers and at various events across the county.

Motorcycle road safety officer Jim Newman delivered the DVDs with other motorcyclists including police officers, a paramedic and a blood service courier.

"Around 60% of crashes involving motorcycles are due to rider error, which underlines the need for riders to take additional training," said Mr Newman.

"Although they don't realise it, riders can get into bad habits which compromise their safety.

"This is particularly true of older bikers who took their driving test many years ago or are returning to motorcycling after a break of some years."

Courses such as BikeSafe or Ride to Arrive allow bikers to have their riding skills assessed by an expert police motorcyclist.

Details of the courses can be found by visiting this story at somersetcountygazette.co.uk and clicking on the link.

Mother-of-four Barbara Galligan, whose husband, Cyrus, 36, died in a head-on crash in Cheddar in February last year, said: "My children have been left without a father and I've been left without a husband.

"I wouldn't want others to go through what we went through - it was so traumatic."

During the past five years, 374 riders and pillion passengers have been killed or seriously injured on Somerset roads - nine out of ten were aged 30 to 48.