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Turning Right? Think Bike! 5 2006
Councils Launch New Campaign Aimed At Motorists
A major new campaign to reduce the number of motorcyclists killed or seriously injured on Medway’s roads has been launched this week.
The campaign, run by Medway Council, Kent County Council and the Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership, uses posters and radio adverts with the strap-line ‘Turning right, think bike!’ to encourage car drivers to take more time to look out for motorbikes.
In 2004, 29 motorcyclists were killed or seriously injured in crashes on Medway’s roads. According to research, 70% of crashes involve another road user, usually a car driver. Failure by drivers to see motorcyclists has been identified as a common factor.
“All too often, drivers look but fail to see motorcycles when pulling out of junctions. Drivers need to take an extra second or two to look out for bikers,” commented Senior Road Safety Officer for Medway, Su Negus.
While acknowledging that car drivers are often at fault, Su Negus also urged bikers to be wary of the fact that drivers won’t always see them.
She added: "As well as making themselves as visible as possible by wearing appropriate clothing, bikers should always assume that drivers haven’t seen them and ride accordingly."
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