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We can’t allow this to happen! This would be the first step on the ladder and other police authorities would be watching with very close eyes. Where does it all stop? Who do they think they are? Why just bikers? They announce figures stating the amount of speeders and accidents on the roads but yet we are merely a small percentage of these figures. A mere percentage which will be escalated and used later in more statistics to justify their cause.
Please, I don’t want to drone on but if you see any articles regarding this or similar items please let me know.
Police in move to seize bikers’ machines
confiscating motorcycles could be very effectiveLaw-breaking motorcyclists could have their machines confiscated as police officers gear up for the biggest season of road safety work yet seen in North Yorkshire.
Chief Constable Della Cannings warned that bikers who break the speed limit and illegally customise their vehicles they face an unprecedented campaign of highway law enforcement this summer.
She said officers would consider taking machines away from persistent nuisance bikers, and that three new mobile video cameras would make roadside speed checks faster, safer and more efficient.
Police chiefs are acting after 28 motorcyclists died on North Yorkshire roads last year, the highest number recorded.
North Yorkshire Police Authority yesterday released £10,000 to pay for video recorders which, working with laser speed guns, could be on the streets within weeks.
Authority member David Lloyd-Williams said residents in the popular biking area of Helmsley and Bilsdale were already reporting rising numbers of weekend bikers.
He said: “Confiscating motorcycles could be very effective because people want to show off on bikes.”
Assistant Chief Constable David Collins said: “The whole issue of safer roads is part of our priority to reduce serious injury and fatal road traffic accidents.
“That is going to be achieved this year through a combination of enforcement and education.
“This kit (video recorders) is the best on the market and what our professionals prefer to use. I think it will have a big impact.”
After the meeting, Debbie Molyneux, of York Motorcycle Action Group, said speed cameras had a role, but they could be seen as revenue generators rather than a safety tool.
Motorcyclists were often perceived to be riding fast because of their brightly-coloured machines and high engine note, when they were riding within the law and their ability.
Police authority member Mike Doyle, an experienced motorcyclist, said bikers should not be demonised and that many bikers would benefit from daily riding, rather than just weekend trips.
He said: “Life’s not so easy for those who use their bikes for daily transport rather than hurtling up the A65 for a spin on a Sunday.”
Make of this what you will…Red cards for danger bikers
REDUCING the growing number of deaths and serious injuries of motorcyclists on the roads of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire is the aim of Safer Rider, a new Thames Valley Police initiative.
From April 2002 to March 2003, 37 motorcyclists were killed and 300 were seriously injured on roads in the Thames Valley.
The death toll is rising every year.
The Thames Valley Roads Policing department is launching a programme of education and enforcement to halt the trend.
Red or yellow cards will be given to motorcyclists who are stopped by police. The yellow is for minor offences that warrant advice from police, but not prosecution.
Like a yellow card in football, it is a verbal warning.
This would usually be given for manoeuvers in which the rider could get into danger, but with guidance could change their behaviour and remain safe. The aim is to encourage riders to seek further training through approved training bodies.
The red card is for more serious traffic offences such as careless or inconsiderate riding.
This is not a warning, but a ‘sending off’. The rider who is stopped will be given a choice of either attending a rider improvement course or prosecution.
If the rider chooses the course they will not have to pay a fine or receive penalty points on their licence, however they will have to attend a one day course of theory and practical riding at their own expense.
The courses will be provided by DriveTech, who provide driver improvement and speed awareness courses for Thames Valley Police.
Both red and yellow cards are issued at the discretion of the officer who has stopped the rider.
The scheme will be implemented through routine and targeted Roads Policing patrols.
Throughout the 2004 biking season, co-ordinated road checks and concentrated patrols will be carried out across the South East region of the UK.
These operations will focus on motorcycle road safety issues and criminal activity.
The forces taking part in this joint operation are Thames Valley, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Kent and the Metropolitan Police. Each force will carry out operations on identified motorcycle routes, paying particular attention to roads that have been identified as being a collision hot spot and/or having a high offending rate against the road traffic regulations.
Supt Neil Olney, head of Roads Policing, said: “We are committed to making the roads safer for all who use them and this new initiative is one of a number of ways we are tackling the issue of road collisions.
“Too many riders die on our roads. They are among the most vulnerable road users because a motorbike travels as fast as a car but without the protection from an impact a car offers.
“This means the majority of collisions involving motorbikes are either very serious or fatal.
“This initiative is a positive step towards reducing motor-bike collisions both through enforcement and education, and I hope this will be the start of a downward trend in motor-bike fatalities and injuries.”Regards
One Peed Off
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