Greg Smith is the Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire and a shadow Transport minister.
I have always backed personal freedom and the ability for Brits to make choices about their lifestyles. For many, there is nothing more freeing than riding along the open road on a motorbike. Just you, your ride, and the countryside. I may not be a motorcyclist myself, but my father was a keen biker in his younger years, and he speaks fondly of his experiences.
This includes acknowledging personal risk and danger. We should make no mistake about this; the freedom of motorcycling is accompanied by very real danger as you choose to become uniquely vulnerable. Motorcyclists make up only one per cent of traffic on our roads but represent twenty per cent of traffic casualties.
This disparity is a problem. Just because motorcycling is, by nature, of greater risk than driving a car does not mean the disproportion of traffic to casualty rates should be blindly accepted.
In recent years, we have made great strides in road safety technology. Emergency crash notification systems have been mandatory in all new cars since 2018. Yet, there is no equivalent safety requirement for motorbikes, despite highly respected and well tested options existing.
I could also turn to the progress in personal safety for bikers, with clear improvements to protective gear and the bikes themselves. Brakes, helmets, airbag jackets, and better materials are all contributing. Why then, are things getting worse again?
Only recently, I was reminded of the state of our streets and roads. The latest RAC data suggests that there is an average of 6 potholes on every mile of road in England and Wales, and nearly two million fewer holes are being filled in each year. They also report how, this year, they responded to over 2,000 more pothole victims compared to the previous year – that’s over ten per cent more.
For motorbike riders, this is a serious issue.
The condition of a road has a major impact on both the quality of a ride as well as its potential danger. Poorly maintained roads are far worse for motorcyclists than the average motorist as they are much more susceptible to damaged roads and more vulnerable in the event of a crash or collision caused by the pothole or avoidance.
The roads that are most likely to be under repaired are also those that are most likely to be favoured by motorcyclists. Rural, scenic routes – already the most dangerous for riders, responsible for 69 per cent of fatalities – are getting worse.
Gocompare has analysed England’s B and C roads and found a worrying trend. So-called “green” routes, needing no work, are dwindling and “red” and “amber” routes are on the rise. It means, since 2021, hundreds of miles of road are now needing immediate work.
When you move to some of the UK’s most beautiful routes, such as in the Lake District or Devon you are risking areas with much higher-than-average red routes. Westmorland and Furness is particularly bad, with barely more than half its roads classed as in good condition.
This lack of care is particularly shocking when you consider the truth about road safety and how for years, we have let down motorcyclists. Each week, an average of six riders are killed and over a hundred are injured. Motorbike fatalities rose by ten per cent according to the most recent data.
These are all interlinked problems. Potholes, not only a source of shame for a supposedly modern and rich country, increase the chances motorcycle crashes either through avoidance of the hole or by hitting one that is partially hidden. Then, particularly on the rural routes that are getting worse, it can take time for the crash to be noticed which reduces the possibility of a quick response.
The speed at which the emergency services can find a crashed motorcyclist is incredibly important. Research from the US has found that just five additional minutes in response time can double the fatality rate in crashes. This is where crash notification systems really shine, by providing fast and accurate notifications for the emergency services – especially on rural, less well travelled roads.
The government should act if it wants to address the suspicion that it simply doesn’t care for motorcyclists. It’s coming Road Safety Strategy is an important opportunity to set this to rights. There is no reason that automatic crash systems are not a condition for motorcyclists, just as they are for cars. Nor is there any reason to simply accept that our roads will forever be on a downward spiral.
Greg Smith is the Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire and a shadow Transport minister.
I have always backed personal freedom and the ability for Brits to make choices about their lifestyles. For many, there is nothing more freeing than riding along the open road on a motorbike. Just you, your ride, and the countryside. I may not be a motorcyclist myself, but my father was a keen biker in his younger years, and he speaks fondly of his experiences.
This includes acknowledging personal risk and danger. We should make no mistake about this; the freedom of motorcycling is accompanied by very real danger as you choose to become uniquely vulnerable. Motorcyclists make up only one per cent of traffic on our roads but represent twenty per cent of traffic casualties.
This disparity is a problem. Just because motorcycling is, by nature, of greater risk than driving a car does not mean the disproportion of traffic to casualty rates should be blindly accepted.
In recent years, we have made great strides in road safety technology. Emergency crash notification systems have been mandatory in all new cars since 2018. Yet, there is no equivalent safety requirement for motorbikes, despite highly respected and well tested options existing.
I could also turn to the progress in personal safety for bikers, with clear improvements to protective gear and the bikes themselves. Brakes, helmets, airbag jackets, and better materials are all contributing. Why then, are things getting worse again?
Only recently, I was reminded of the state of our streets and roads. The latest RAC data suggests that there is an average of 6 potholes on every mile of road in England and Wales, and nearly two million fewer holes are being filled in each year. They also report how, this year, they responded to over 2,000 more pothole victims compared to the previous year – that’s over ten per cent more.
For motorbike riders, this is a serious issue.
The condition of a road has a major impact on both the quality of a ride as well as its potential danger. Poorly maintained roads are far worse for motorcyclists than the average motorist as they are much more susceptible to damaged roads and more vulnerable in the event of a crash or collision caused by the pothole or avoidance.
The roads that are most likely to be under repaired are also those that are most likely to be favoured by motorcyclists. Rural, scenic routes – already the most dangerous for riders, responsible for 69 per cent of fatalities – are getting worse.
Gocompare has analysed England’s B and C roads and found a worrying trend. So-called “green” routes, needing no work, are dwindling and “red” and “amber” routes are on the rise. It means, since 2021, hundreds of miles of road are now needing immediate work.
When you move to some of the UK’s most beautiful routes, such as in the Lake District or Devon you are risking areas with much higher-than-average red routes. Westmorland and Furness is particularly bad, with barely more than half its roads classed as in good condition.
This lack of care is particularly shocking when you consider the truth about road safety and how for years, we have let down motorcyclists. Each week, an average of six riders are killed and over a hundred are injured. Motorbike fatalities rose by ten per cent according to the most recent data.
These are all interlinked problems. Potholes, not only a source of shame for a supposedly modern and rich country, increase the chances motorcycle crashes either through avoidance of the hole or by hitting one that is partially hidden. Then, particularly on the rural routes that are getting worse, it can take time for the crash to be noticed which reduces the possibility of a quick response.
The speed at which the emergency services can find a crashed motorcyclist is incredibly important. Research from the US has found that just five additional minutes in response time can double the fatality rate in crashes. This is where crash notification systems really shine, by providing fast and accurate notifications for the emergency services – especially on rural, less well travelled roads.
The government should act if it wants to address the suspicion that it simply doesn’t care for motorcyclists. It’s coming Road Safety Strategy is an important opportunity to set this to rights. There is no reason that automatic crash systems are not a condition for motorcyclists, just as they are for cars. Nor is there any reason to simply accept that our roads will forever be on a downward spiral.