UK Petition - motorcycle questions on drivers theory test

[GAScubaBum]

Found this while looking at other things. For all you UK guys, its a petition to have questions about motorcycle safety included in the standard UK driving test. Makes sense.

The injury stats are a bit frightening though. Are things really that bad in the UK? They say "the biker casualty rate is currently a staggering 61 times greater than that of motorists". Damn!

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/26272

[Rasher]

The figures are quite grim, but the term "seriously injured" that government statistics like to use can mean a small graze, I have had worse injuries washing up (really, a cup broke as I cleaned it and cut open my hand and I needed stitches - a bike accident requiring the same treatment would be classified as "killed or seriously injured)

I am not sure if those stats are that accurate, I am sure on a bikesafe course the police running it claimed it was a fair bit less (still 20 or 30 times I think)

The thing is over 60% of these accidents are SMIDSY events with cars pulling out of junctions, you can argue all day long about defensive riding (and sure it helps) but with so many dopey unobservant morons on the road no amount of rider improvement will get the stats on a level playing field.

The bottom line is about 2/3rds of accidents are caused by cars (or at least would not have happened had a car driver not made an error of judgement, they now like to apportion blame so when some w****** pulls out just in front of you then you are partly to blame for not reading his mind / taking pre-cursive action to mitigate his Blindness / Stupidity / Reckless nature etc.

I always feel safer in Europe, despite the French and (especially) the Italians being "considered" as poor drivers by the UK public I find them far more observant and bike aware than the Muppets we let loose on the roads, unfortunately this petition won't do any good as our politicians like these poor stats as it gives them an excuse to make our bikes slower / more expensive and assist them in legislating us off the road altogether (what they really want)

[Michael J]

SMIDSY

...as our politicians like these poor stats as it gives them an excuse to make our bikes slower / more expensive and assist them in legislating us off the road altogether (what they really want)

This brings to mind a line from an old Chad Mitchell Trio song: "Each Congressman has to ends, a sitting end and a thinking end; and since his whole job depends upon his seat, why bother, friend?"

The appearance of taking action, unfortunately, is much more important than actually doing something useful.

[BourneToRide]

SMIDSY

Sorry
Mate,
I
Didn't
See
You

like the pillock who U turned into me 14 months ago because he didn't want to wait in a queue