A Motorcycle Safety and Transport Policy Framework
NPCC will continue to develop its Motorcycle Enforcement Strategy and Motorcycle Weeks of Action.
Summary
The overall objective is to reduce rider casualties through a range of Police-led education and enforcement initiatives and to aim for government recognition and development into policy of NPCC key messages.
This will be progressed using the NPCC National Motorcycle Safety Strategy and supporting guidance as well as future planning on anticipation of changes in the rural urban split and the increase in more automated enforcement methods.
Description
In 2015, 365 motorcyclists were killed on British roads, with a further 5042 seriously injured. Whilst 2015 has seen a 4.67% reduction in those seriously injured, when compared to 2014 figures, there has been a 7.67% increase in those being killed. Too many motorcyclists are being killed or injured on our roads.
NPCC have recently updated and published the National Motorcycle Safety Strategy. This strategy builds upon and replaces the NPCC National Motorcycle Enforcement Strategy, with a view to placing education at the heart of making motorcycling safer.
Individual Police Forces need to recognise the importance of improving road safety for these most vulnerable road users.
The NPCC Strategy key themes are:
- All enforcement activity should reflect the threat posed and therefore potential for harm
- Where behaviour can be changed through education and that is a proportionate response to the behaviour, this should be the primary response
- For those cases where education is inappropriate, the enforcement should be robust
It should be recognised that the message we are aiming for is to improve the safety of all road users and reduce the number of casualties on our roads. This will need to include a number of tactics with the main focus being on education, and enforcement being an option for those falling beyond the scope of education. We will use all means available to encourage compliance – Highways England have a role in supporting engagement activity as well as assisting with targeted and intelligence led activity.
Sitting underneath this strategy will be a Motorcycle Safety Plan for Forces to adopt in order to have the maximum impact on improving the safety of motorcyclists through education and enforcement.
The key messages and over-arching objectives for this will be:
Education
- Reduce the number of motorcyclists killed or seriously injured on the roads
- Change of attitude towards motorcyclists – recognise they are a valuable part of the transport mix
- Road user awareness – educate drivers to be aware of motorbikes
- More engagement with rider groups and stakeholders to support aims
- Government recognition of and greater uptake of BikeSafe
- Errant behaviour – positively influence through education as the primary option
- Create a balance with cycling and a more mature approach around two-wheel safety
- Increased use of post-test training and voluntary assessments
- CBT – ensure CBT is fit for purpose and consistently delivered
- Improved use of the RiDE Scheme, with regular communications to staff and criminal justice departments in order to raise awareness and encourage referrals to the scheme
- Nationally launched biker web chats and use of social media
- Partnership working
Enforcement
- All enforcement activity should reflect the threat posed and therefore potential for harm
- Offending behaviour beyond the scope of education will see enforcement guided by principles of proportionality in applying the law. This will generally fall into two categories;
- Defects or modifications to motorcycles or safety equipment which either present a danger or are designed to impede a prosecution
- High risk offending behaviour which is so serious as to warrant immediate prosecution
- For those cases where education is inappropriate, the enforcement should be robust
- Enforcement should be intelligence-led and targeted to ensure maximum impact. Targeting needs to involve and take full advantage of a wide range of information sources, such as safety camera vans, unmarked vehicles, cross-border operations and section 59 warnings, to properly inform, focus and prioritise enforcement activities
- Enforcement activity should be consistent and transparent
With the changes to the road network and the funding cuts to road safety and roads policing, more innovative methods need to be adopted. This is likely to see an increase in more automated enforcement such as safety camera vans and the channelling of funding back into road safety projects. This will form part of the guidance within the Safety Plan for Forces.
Partnership work being undertaken at the National Roads Partnership Intelligence Forum will assist to ensure that enforcement activity effectively supports strategic aims and objectives. The partnership compliance calendar is a good example of this and other work with the Motorcycle Working Group will support this.
Next steps:
- Continue to focus and promote the NPCC National Roads Policing Calendar motorcycle weeks of action in order to raise awareness of Powered Two Wheelers (PTWs)
- Following the weeks of action, evaluate activity conducted and share good practice with all forces
- Reinforce safety and education messages through appropriately timed communications. This can be facilitated by ongoing engagement and by utilising the results of the recent Highways England Motorcycle Customer Survey.
- Further work being completed in respect of RIDE and BikeSafe which will also link into the above
Progress
UPDATE – Action 8 – To Publish an Education and Enforcement Strategy
Two motorcycle safety weeks of action have now been introduced into the NPCC calendar. These weeks are now well established and are centred around education and interaction with motorcyclists. They take place around the time of the Easter Bank Holiday and again towards the end of the summer to coincide with the August Bank Holiday.
The motorcycle safety plan and communications around motorcycling and BikeSafe have been released to all forces in order to assist with national policy and procedures.
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