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Bikers Show Attitude With New Website 4 2006
Written by Kent bikers for Kent Bikers
A new website created for Kent and Medway bikers was launched today. ‘Ride With Attitude?’, which is written by bikers for bikers, is packed with information aimed at helping the county’s motorcyclists get more out of their machines while encouraging them to think more carefully about their riding.
The site contains many useful features contributed by members of the biking community including maintenance tips, speed camera locations, reviews of bikes and biker cafes as well as maps of the county’s most popular riding routes. There is even a ‘rant-line’ where bikers can get any grievances about riding in Kent and Medway off their chests.
Kent biker and contributor to the site, Gerard Murphy commented: “Biking is a way of life for thousands of people across the county and the purpose of ‘Ride With Attitude?’ is to get bikers to look at how they ride, help them get the most out of their machines and develop their riding skills.”
Gerard, who owns two bikes, lost a leg in a serious crash in March 1995 when a car pulled out in front of him. Motorcyclists are one of the most vulnerable road user groups and, as such, ‘Ride With Attitude?’ also promotes responsible riding and contains useful links and information on training and assessment.
“As bikers, we all like to go out and have fun on our machines, but we also need to be mindful of the possible risks and ride accordingly.”
Although motorcyclists represent just one percent of traffic, they account for more than a quarter of all the county’s road fatalities with 27 motorcyclists dying in Kent and Medway in 2005. In 70% of the crashes involving motorbikes on Kent roads, the bike is the only vehicle involved. According to Kent Police, the most common cause is loss of control at bends. However, in Medway most crashes are right of way violations involving another vehicle.
May Day weekend is always a highlight in the biking calendar, but as ‘Ride With Attitude?’ spokesperson Tom Morton explains, it is also a time of heightened risk to bikers.
“Bank holidays are among the busiest times of the year for motorbike traffic and unfortunately this is reflected by the crash statistics. While we want everyone to have a great weekend, we also urge them to ride appropriately.”
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