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Motorcycle crash toll in rural Yorkshire mounts despite national improvements in road safety
THE “mini massacre” of motorcyclists on some rural main roads in Yorkshire is overshadowing safety improvements which benefit other road users, campaigners claimed yesterday.
Julie Hemmings
New figures from the AA Motoring Trust show British roads in general are becoming safer, with the risk of death or serious injury among the lowest in Europe.
However, the trust – which highlighted four Yorkshire troublespots – says this is undermined by the high death rates among motorcyclists.
It claims that fatal motorcycle accidents account for nearly all the deaths on some of Britain’s most accident-prone roads, such as the A537 from Macclesfield in Cheshire to Buxton in Derbyshire.
Four of the nine roads the trust lists as having the highest risk of a fatal or serious accident are in Yorkshire – the A682, between junction 13 on the M65 and Long Preston in North Yorkshire; the A59 from Skipton to Harrogate in North Yorkshire; the A62 between Oldham and Huddersfield in West Yorkshire; and the A65 from Long Preston to junction 36 on the M6.
The report was compiled from statistics for the years 2001 to 2003.
By 2003 the death toll of motorcyclists in North Yorkshire had climbed to 28 but fell back to 18 last year after a campaign by the county’s police force.
In the past, so-called “born again bikers” – older riders on high-performance machines – were targeted by safety drives but North Yorkshire police spokesman Tony Lidgate said the safety message had been getting through to this group.
The challenging rural roads of North Yorkshire attract motorcylists from beyond the county’s borders and the force is now focusing on young riders with sport motorbikes.
Mr Lidgate said speed was a factor in the majority of accidents.
Since last year, North Yorkshire Police have been fast-tracking extreme speeders to court.
However, most of the road users caught travelling at excessive speeds in the county were car drivers rather than motorcyclists.
An earlier study led by the AA found motorcyclists were 30 times more likely to die in crashes than car drivers, in part due to their greater vulnerability.
The AA Motoring Trust recommends “road hygiene” measures to bring down accident rates, such as clean and clear road signs, good road markings, effective drainage and quality road surfaces.
Trust director Bert Morris said: “We now know the roads where deaths and serious injuries are routine and predictable.
“Our analysis highlights where resources can be targeted to save most lives. ‘B
ig wins’ in road safety, such as compulsory seatbelt-wearing or changing attitudes to drink-driving, have saved thousands of lives.
“The identification of the relative dangers of British roads has yet to provoke a major public response.
“There would be an outcry if similar league tables were published about the relative safety of different stretches of railway, even though rail death and injury rates are far lower than on roads.”
The trust found that Sweden, Britain and the Netherlands had the safest roads in Europe, mainly because they have the highest seatbelt-wearing rates, the lowest drink-drive rates, and traffic laws which are vigorously enforced.
As the speed limit on motorways is linked by research to crash protection, the trust says Britain’s dual three-lane motorways, which account for 30 to 40 per cent of total mileage driven, have helped the country’s road safety figures.
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on Thursday, March 27th, 2008 at 10:47 pm and is filed under Accident Attorney, Motorcycle Accidents.
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