Advice for Motorcyclists
Motorcycle Safety
Ease off the throttle.
This campaign asks motorcyclists to slow down and ‘ease off the throttle’ as bikers speeding is a factor in a third of motorcyclist fatal collisions.
We want motorcyclists to recognise their vulnerability and responsibility to themselves and their families to ride safely. Motorcyclists have less protection than a car driver if involved in a collision. So, if something goes wrong, regardless of who is at fault, the consequences can be catastrophic.
The campaign targets the minority of motorcyclists who don't seem to be slowing down on our roads. They are male, typically 25-34 years of age.
No one likes being told what to do. But sometimes you have to listen.
Ease off the throttle and keep within the speed limit.
Facts
Data indicates that:
- Motorcycles make up approx. 1.5% of all vehicles registered in Ireland but account for approx. 10% of road deaths
- Motorcyclists are six times more likely to be killed on Irish roads than any other road user.
- Over 50% of motorcycle fatalities and serious injuries occur during the months of May to September.
Motorcyclist Rider Behaviour Study 2019 found that:
- 43% acknowledge exceeding the speed limit on country/rural roads and 22% on residential roads at least occasionally
- 12% of participants reported having been involved in a road collision (including a minor spill) in the two years previously
- Almost one in two said that the incident resulted in an injury (either minor or serious).
- 59% had a near miss in the same period.
Analysis of available coronial files data for 2013-2017 found that:
- of the motorcycle driver fatalities with a record of their actions leading up to the collision (n = 81), 34.6% (n = 28) were exceeding a safe speed. Exceeding a safe speed refers to driving above the speed limit, or driving at a speed that is too high for the road/conditions.
Look out for Motorcyclists
RSA and Irish Motorcycle Association urge drivers to look out for motorcyclists
- Drivers urged to ‘look out for’ motorcyclists at junctions and intersections
- Motorcyclists reminded to wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Drivers should expect to encounter motorcyclists on the road and they also need to understand that motorcyclists have less protection in the event of a crash and so are many times more vulnerable. A factor in collisions involving a motorcyclist and a driver is when a car or van turns or drives through a junction / joins a main road from a minor road, fails to observe, and ends up colliding with the motorcyclist. Therefore, it is critical that drivers look out for motorcyclists especially, at junctions, at intersections, when turning onto a main road and when changing lanes.
