Motorbike accident statistics in the UK

There has been a tag-line for some time now that bikers are 40 times more likely to be killed in accidents than other road users. Although motorcyclists statistically only account for 1% of all total road traffic accidents, they do account for 19% of all road user deaths.

The figure of 1% may seem low, but the reason for this is simply down to there being far fewer bikers on the road when compared to other vehicles. Think about it, and it makes perfect sense.

The reason for the far greater fatality rate is obvious: in absence of the protection a vehicle offers – especially today’s modern vehicles with airbags, crumple zones, and other technology – we all know bikers are constantly at a greater risk of being seriously hurt or killed in an accident.

Whichever way you look at the statistics, it never makes for comfortable reading for motorcyclists.

Being 40 times more likely to be killed is worrying. But what can we do? A lot of awareness has been raised in recent years, and I’d like to think drivers have a lot more information available nowadays to avoid hitting a biker. But as smaller vehicles with riders who have very little protection, can we ever make the roads truly safe for bikers?

I worry that we can’t.

Are things getting better?

There were some statistics thrown around a couple of years ago that indicated there has been a decrease in the number of motorcyclist deaths in the last five to ten years when compared to numbers earlier at the start of 2000. Perhaps this stems from greater awareness campaigns, and as well as fewer deaths, there were also fewer injuries and serious injuries too.

Overall, the figures have steadily fallen since 2008; despite some seriously wet weather we endured in 2012, which still didn’t yield a spike in the graph.

What can we do to make things better and improve the statistics?

Really, all we can do is educate drivers and keep up with campaigns like the THINK! one that has been around for years. Driving tests have been reportedly getting harder, but continual education and advertising is needed to remind people to get the basics of driving right, and just look out for bikers.

Nowadays, many riders have modulated lights fitted to their bikes. They’re the ones where they appear to flash and get brighter the closer they get to you. It certainly helps to raise visibility, but it doesn’t stop the daytime accidents from people pulling out of junctions, or changing lanes on a motorway.

Ultimately, until we can invent some seriously useful but effective armour for bikers, it’s going to come down to education and trusting other road users to pay the due care and attention they owe to bikers.