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| Robert Goodwill MP |
Speaking at a closed conference of invited road safety and transport policy influencers, held in London earlier this month, Robert Goodwill MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, described the green paper as a “series of proposals to reform young driver training which will include a chapter on young motorcyclists”.
A biker himself, Goodwill said the CBT was “only intended to be a starting point in learning to ride and going on to take a full motorcycle test” and that “we need to ensure it continues to be fit for purpose in addressing the needs of young riders, thus enabling them to be safe and responsible road users”.
The minister began his address to the conference – organised by the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCI) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) - by revealing his personal connection to motorcycling: that he had a motorcycle licence himself and that his son had recently taken his test just ahead of the 3DLD changes to avoid what he described as the “palaver” of the new licence regime.
He told delegates that the UK had the best overall road safety rate behind Malta and ran through the stats specifically for motorcycling:
- The lowest number of motorcycle fatalities since 1921
- 9% decrease in motorcycle fatalities between 2011 and 2012 from 362 to 328
- 5% fall in those reporting serious injury - down to 5000 a year
- Importantly, the number of motorcycle casualties fell faster than a slight drop in motorcycle traffic - 4% fall in casualties against a 2% fall in motorcycle traffic
He acknowledged that the Government “wants to see these numbers reduce still further”.
The minister referenced the Strategic Framework for Road Safety, published in May 2011, which, he explained, “sets out our policies and a clear vision for reducing road accidents and collisions involving all modes of transport”.
He mentioned that “motorcyclist safety is currently a priority issue for the department’s Think! campaign”. It reminds drivers to look out for motorcyclists, particularly at junctions, and to see the person behind the helmet.
The minister explained that the “testing economic times” meant that local government, like central government, was facing tough choices on spending but that local authorities were funded to tackle road safety issues, in other words, that the funding was ring-fenced. He said local communities, rather than Whitehall bureaucrats, were best placed to design local road safety solutions to meet local road safety challenges, and that included deciding where to focus their resources.
“Over the period of this parliament , the government will be giving a billion pounds to local councils, enabling them to improve transport infrastructure including the design of better and safer roads.”
He added £600million was being used to fund changes to local transport through the local sustainable transport fund, which gave local authorities power to deliver their own transport projects, such as the Wheels to Work schemes. He praised the W2W concept, explaining how it “helped people to come off benefits and regain independence”.
He also acknowledged that riding a moped could improve awareness of safety on the roads, knowledge of the Highway Code and road signs, which could in turn make it easier to learn to drive a car. He added that riding a moped had additional benefits in terms of being able to help drivers be aware of other vulnerable road-users such as cyclists.
He described Wheels to Work as a “value-for-money way of bringing people and jobs together”. He added: “We will certainly continue to encourage inclusion of these schemes in the transport planning process.”
He summed up by saying he recognised the role the industry, police and stakeholders made in promoting safe motorcycling through initiatives such as BikeSafe and in working in partnership, but that there was “much more we can do” if we wanted to see motorcycling fall further.
“I applaud the commitment from the industry, police and stakeholders who feel it’s time for a greater impact to be made in the key influencing areas of motorcycle safety, especially if we are to see the kind of safety breakthrough that we all desire.”
The conference also heard a call for a “braver approach” to bike safety.
Karen Cole, director of safety and training at the Motorcycle Industry Association, said there had been “numerous” schemes that had helped to half the rider road death rate since 2003. However, she warned that the “gentle slope down” meant motorcycle safety was no longer seen as a priority by many and she feared the number of serious motorcycle accidents could begin to rise again if safety education at local and national level become a casualty of budget cuts and shifting priorities.
She concluded: “We have benefited from almost ten years of safety initiatives but these seem to be winding down now. We’ve achieved all we can reasonably expect to achieve via these traditional safety routes. The achievements of everybody, and there’s so many people involved, should be applauded, but it’s time to take a much braver approach.”
Deputy Chief Constable Dave Griffin began his address by explaining why the police and MCI were collaborating. “This is a first we have seen Acpo and the MCI sharing a platform. It might seem odd to some to have business and policing on the same platform. Actually, that’s because we want the same thing. And I think in terms of social corporate responsibility, I know nobody that does it better than the MCI. I know you want to promote motorcycling but your attitude towards safety is commendable.”
He considered that since 2010 there had been a “strategy void” regarding motorcycle safety and that the conference was about “the genesis of getting that going again”.
He went on to explain how persuasive figures from Europe were in putting forward the case for more motorcycles. “When I look at comparable statistics from around Europe in particular, why is it that in some of our European partner countries, per kilometre travelled you are much safer on a motorcycle than you are in the UK?
“It seems counter-intuitive that by having more motorcycles on the road, more power two wheelers, you can reduce casualties. I took some convincing, but when I started to see the evidence, which you will hear this morning, it was quite a powerful argument and today is about thinking differently.”
Craig Carey-Clinch, public affairs adviser to the MCI, looked in more detail at casualty rates for motorcyclists in comparison to other modes of transport – particularly cars and cycles. He said that while fatalities for motorcyclists were down 40% compared with the baseline figures for 2005-09, this was still too high proportionately to car drivers.
He noted the huge disparity between spending on motorcycle safety and safety for cyclists, which he suggested was down to an “image problem” for motorcycling.
He explained that the public, political and local authority attitudes to motorcycling were based on “outdated notions” and pointed to market trends as offering a more insightful means of understanding contemporary motorcycle use.
“Since the recession we’ve seen the emergence of motorcycles being used for very different things,” he explained, “with naked-type machines and scooters really in the ascendency, super-sports coming down, adventure sports going up. So you’re seeing much more use of motorcycles for practical purposes. We’re not the same as we were when attitudes to policies were developed.”
He also presented statistics showing that accident rates were reducing faster for rural roads than for urban ones, suggesting extra work was needed in urban areas.
What do you think on the important issues raised in this article?
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