Fresh Air

Motorbikes are dangerous aren't they? That's what they say! If you are a parent who's child has just purchased a scooter or moped, or you are a spouse or child of a partner or parent who has just started riding as part of their "midlife awareness program" then you may be justifiably worried. But is it justifiable?

The statistics show that over a 10 year period, between 1992 and 2002, there were 5562 fatalities (riders and passengers) out of a total of 279019 accidents (1.99%) (source: Department For Transport). Compare this to the fatalities of pedestrians (2.25% 10915 deaths out of 486111 accidents), and fatalities of car drivers and passengers (0.88% 19396 fatalities out of 2,202,341 accidents)

These statistics show that motorcycling is actually safer than crossing the road!!!! Although they also show that its safer to be in a car than it is to be on motorbike. In reality though can these comparisons be drawn on a like to like basis? Lets look at the volume of traffic on our roads. During the same time period, there were 22.5 million cars on our roads, 1 million motorcycles and around 1 million pedestrians. This means that we can forget about cars, because the fatality rate in car accidents is very small and not comparable to our other statistics. We have now shown that with similar volumes we can compare pedestrian fatalities with
motorcycling fatalities.

Looking at the statistics we can see that there were almost twice as many accidents involving pedestrians and the same in fatalities amongst them, when compared to motorcycle accidents. I think, therefore that its safe to say that motorcycling is safer than crossing the road - or is it? Pedestrians are always around, walking along footpaths and crossing the road - motorcycling on the other hand has become a seasonal leisure activity. The greatest number of motorcycle accidents and fatalities therefore occur during a shorter time span (between end of April and start of September). The conclusion must therefore be drawn that motorcycling is only as dangerous as crossing the road. On top of this, it must be noted that accidents and fatalities amongst pedestrians have seen a downward turn during the 10 year period we are talking about, and those amongst motorcycles have increased slightly (this is due to the increased interest in motorcycling as a leisure activity rather than just a means of transport).

I have owned and ridden motorcycles for 25 years, and cars for nearly 20. So are motorcycles dangerous? Well the obvious answer is of course they are, but only when in the wrong hands. By this I mean in the hands of a 16 year old with the typical teenage "I am unstoppable attitude", or the guy who's done an intensive "pass your test in a week" course and gone out and bought a sports bike, or the guy who has not ridden for 15 years and at 40 decides to go out and buy a sports bike or tourer (motorcycles have changed a lot in a short period of time - they are a whole lot faster, and mercifully a whole lot safer!!!)

When I started riding motorcycles, I needed a cheap method of transport. With just myself to think about and a father and much older brother who were also bikers, it was the obvious choice for me (I used to hero worship my brother and his gorgeous new blue 900cc Honda, and I used to ride pillion with him sometimes, which gave me a taste for it). That's just what it was a mode of transport to get from A to B. I didn't buy a bike because my mates each had one and we went for rides at the weekend - I needed to get to work, quickly, efficiently and at least possible cost. In 1984 there was no such thing as CBT (compulsory basic training) or a two part test in which you are followed by an examiner on a motorcycle with an intercom - in my test I pulled away from the test centre (remembering my safety checks) and rode back to the test centre in a circle via the roads my examiner had instructed me to use. I saw him when I pulled away from the centre and saw him just once more as I made the penultimate turn of the test. Needless to say I passed first time - it was easy and (when I think about it today) ridiculous.

In 1984 I did a voluntary road skills course called "Star Rider" which helped you learn how to control your bike. Since then the standards for motorcycle riding have far surpassed those for car drivers (I was a driving instructor 3 years ago and therefore I know this to be a fact). This is for all the right reasons, and remembering the statistics above it needed to happen. Another reason this needed to happen is this - in 1984 bikers started small and moved up the bike engine sizes slowly, I had a 100cc for 5 years, then moved up to 250cc where I stayed for 2 or 3 years before moving onto a 550cc. I then discovered cars, but after 3 years could not resist the pull of a motorcycle and I moved onto much bigger motorcycles - I had a 900cc Kawasaki, a Z1 - my dream bike.

In 2010 it is not the same - scooters and small motorcycles are for those under the age of 21. Those who suddenly decide to embark upon motorcycle ownership later in life generally learn on a 500cc machine, then once passed purchase an uber fast super sports machine, which they promptly go out and crash!!

Recently sales figures have shown that a third of all motorcycle sales are in the scooter sector - this means that people aged 16 to 21 are buying a third of all new motorcycles in the UK. This is also the largest sector of fatalities - the inexperience and arrogance of youth being the reason these kids crash and burn. The second largest sector of sales is in sports bikes - this is also the second largest sector for fatalities - the inexperience and arrogance of the middle aged "suit" who wants a toy. There seems to be a pattern emerging...

In the summer motorcycles are used more and more - it's a beautiful feeling, the freedom of being exposed to the elements, the wind in your face, the air around your body, the thrill of speed as you ride down some of Britain's amazing and fantastic roads, and then of course there are the bugs in your teeth and the wasps in your helmet!!! Believe me the latter is not a pleasant sensation!! Summer months also bring out the invincibility (or stupidity) factor - bikers start deciding "its too hot to wear leathers, or even jeans, I'll just leave this vest on and these shorts, stick my helmet on and go for a blast" - these are the people that come home in a box rather than on their bike!! A sad but very real fact.

I'm not saying that I've gone 25 years without an accident - I have had my fair share, but until recently nothing serious. When I first had a bike it was my only form of transport and therefore was used in all weathers - rain, hail, snow, ice, you name it. As I got older and had the income to own a motorcycle and a car it became more of a leisure activity, but was still my preferred form of transport (I would use it whenever I could) and about 9 years ago I actually went back to being an all weather biker and not owning a car. I had my fair share of spills, but given the weather etc I used to ride in, it was statistically to be expected. I grazed a few knees, ruined leathers, but I always got back on not having any bad injuries, that was until August 2006 when I had my first bad accident. It's a long story, but a boy racer cut across a road right in front of me and I hit a brick wall trying to avoid him. He drove off and I severely broke both my arms in the accident - this resulted in me losing my job as I could not work, being unable to pay bills, and after 18 months, losing my house, my partner and all of my confidence and self respect. Not a good result, plus I could not claim any insurance as the other driver had not stopped!!

At the time I had two bikes, a "work" one and my second ever Z1 (a picture of which accompanies this article). During the time after this accident I could not bear to part with my Zed and rode it as soon as my arms were better. Given what had happened in the time between the accident and me losing my house, I got to the point where I no longer cared about my own mortality and felt like I was alone so it was not an important issue. Rather foolishly one January morning in 2008 I could not sleep and decided I would take the Zed on an adventure. Motorcycling on the coldest Winters day can be the most exhilarating feeling ever - the temperature is the reason why, its so cold it makes the thrill even more thrilling!! I put my leathers on and enough layers to keep me warm, I packed myself a flask and some digestives (!!) and got on my bike. I was riding, aware it was icy, testing the "feel" of the bike to see if the roads were iced up or had been gritted. As I came to my first national speed limit road everything seemed fine. I opened her up a bit and she was fine so I went a little faster. I came to some bends I know well, having travelled the road all of my life, doing around 70mph, and I hit some black ice! As my baby (the Z1) tumbled thru the air, I rolled in gambols over the tarmac, end over end, thinking this really is the end. I lay prostrate on the road at 6am as my bike landed with a thump about a hundred yards away. I stood up, I was fine except for my ribs hurting. I looked at my bike, she looked ok. I ran over and jumped back on her, and tried to start her - when she wouldn't start I looked for the reason - half the engine had gone!! Luckily (although I dint think so at the time) she was the fatality in this accident and not me.

I have had time to sit and ponder that accident since and it could have been lethal. 5 minutes later and I would have been hit by the Morrisons lorry that turned into the road, as I gambolled along it at 70mph. I could have ended up with a very broken body lying behind a bush in a field in the dark, slowly painfully dying alone on that Saturday morning, lying undiscovered for hours. Its horrible to think about, and at the time it was the bike I wanted to survive not me. I'm glad it turned out the way it did though, because 4 months later my life was to turn around - I got a job, I moved to a new town where I bumped into the woman who became my wife and my life has taken a massive turn for the better