Engaging with motorcyclists: UK Police and the BikeSafe road safety programme

The goal of crash prevention necessitates a range of interventions to influence road user behaviour and to stimulate the adoption of training that develops and refines rider/driver awareness and skills. A recurring dilemma for Police authorities is how to engage with road users who have traditionally demonstrated apathy towards further training and misplaced confidence in personal riding/driving skills. BikeSafe is a motorcycle road safety initiative instigated by North Yorkshire Police in the UK. It was set up in response to rising road casualty rates that accompanied a formidable increase in participation in motorcycling; a trend mirrored in many parts of the developed world. This paper sets out how the innovatory BikeSafe scheme was designed as a road safety intervention with the intention of engaging with motorcyclists for the purpose of assessing their training needs, then providing motivation and direction to riders for further training.

Alongside the roll out of BikeSafe across the UK a major research programme was undertaken to explore the alternative directions of rider development taken by motorcyclists. The implications of the research are set out and demonstrate how the generation of a well-configured, attractive and competitive development offers intense, positive experiences for participating motorcyclists.