BMF has agreed to work with Motorcycle Law Scotland (MLS) to develop an information campaign to improve car driver awareness of motorcyclists at junctions to reduce motorcycle accidents and fatalities in Scotland.

A recent article in “The Scotsman” by Thomas Mitchell, an Associate at MLS, has highlighted the continuing vulnerability of motorcyclists in road traffic accidents in Scotland with motorcycle riders often the innocent victims of poor driver behaviour.

MLS argue that current safety campaign messaging in Scotland, that focuses solely on educating riders about risks and reducing the speed of motorcyclists, “demonises” motorcyclists and creates a false perception amongst other road users that the responsibility for a rider’s safety rests entirely in the hands of the rider.

The figures on motorcyclist injuries/fatalities in Scotland set out in the article are stark and demonstrate that there remains a lot more to be done on improving car driver awareness of bikers and to ensure that the measures set out in the Highway Code relating to the duty of care towards “vulnerable road users” are fully adhered to.

The dangers that motorcyclists face from drivers pulling into their path at junctions are of course well known. BMF and National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) have been working closely with officials, including those at the Parliamentary Advisory Council For Transport Safety (PACTS), looking at some of the academic research regarding what riders and drivers look for and register when they scan the road for approaching vehicles. This demonstrates a clear difference in the scanning fields employed by car drivers and riders at junctions, which can contribute to “look but fail to see” crashes. But research also shows that there is another phenomenon at play in these type of accidents relating to the short-term memory recall in car drivers, known as “saw but forgot”, which can also be a contributory factor in crashes at junctions involving motorcyclists.

MLS has significant experience in supporting injured motorcyclists and their families in Scotland with personal injury claims and can be contacted  on 0333 555 7782 or by clicking here

All BMF members have free access to initial consultation and legal advice. If MLS believe there is a valid compensation claim for injury, damage or loss, they will take on the case on a ‘No Win No fee’ basis and fully fund the case from start to finish.

BMF looks forward to working with MLS on this important initiative to improve driver awareness of motorcyclists at junctions and reduce the number of accidents and fatalities involving motorcyclists.

Written by Paul Morgan CBE  Government Relations Executive

Top image courtesy of Steelfish – Pixabay

In article image courtesy of London Advanced Motorcyclists

Our Legal Partners are Thorneycroft Solicitors, providers of our BMF Legal Service

Specifically for Northern Irish Law we work with JMK Solicitors  and for Scottish laws we work with Motorcycle Law Scotland