Crash

Campaign designed to cut number of deaths and serious injuries on Kent’s roads

A road safety campaign designed to cut the number of deaths on the county’s roads involving motorcyclists is launched this month.

Currently bikers make up just one per cent of all road users - but account for a staggering 25 per cent of all fatal crashes in the county.

The new campaign, launched by Kent County Council and officially unveiled in Lydd next week, comes at a time when bikers return to two wheels after leaving their bikes parked up during the winter months.

A stark warning comes from one motorcyclist, Nick Doig, who was involved in a serious crash on the Jurys Gap Road in Lydd almost two years ago.

Mr Doig was lucky to survive a head-on collision with a car after he lost control of his bike on a Sunday morning ride with a fellow biker, he had not seen for 15 years.

He explains: “I remember braking and the tyres slipping on the white lines of the road. As I applied the brakes the back of the bike shot up at a 90-degree angle throwing me across the road and over an on-coming car. The bike collided with the car and my head hit a road sign.”

He attributes his life being saved by being thrown over the car.

When he came to rest Mr Doig was unconscious and had broken his left leg in three places, his pelvis in two and fractured his left hand and shoulder.

He was air lifted to hospital and remained off work for six months following the crash and required a further three months physiotherapy.

Steve Horton, Kent Count Council’s road safety team leader, said: “Unfortunately crashes like Nick’s happen too often and while in recent years there has been a drop from a peak number of crashes in 2009, the casualty rates are once again rising as more people are turning to biking as an alternative to driving. Some of this may be driven by the cost of petrol and economic circumstances but the fact is the casualty statistics are shocking for this road user group.

“Factors such as poor weather, a lack of visibility, poor clothing choices, inappropriate speed for the circumstances and inexperience are leading to a growing trend in bike crashes.”

See the dedicated website with advice on avoiding danger on the roads - www.kentbikers.co.uk.