A bit grim - BBC death map

[Kwikasfuki]

Shows fatalities. Quite a bit of motorcycle related death where I live.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15975720

[The Oil Baron]

Wow that sure gives you a bit of perspective........

[cpettifer]

I saw that yesterday and came to a few of my own conclusions about the bit on bikers (the "did you know" "1%" tab).

They say bikers are most "at risk" if riding on a weekend afternoon. I disagree. I suspect there are a number of factors in play here:

• more bikers on the roads at weekends, particularly in the summer (so there would be more deaths)
• summer only / weekend only riders on the roads may be less experienced (more likely to crash?)
• weekend riding tends to be for pleasure, which means people might be riding in a different way (potentially more risky)
• sunday drivers on the roads make the whole place more dangerous! ;-)

I'm sure we could add many points to this list, but simply to say the "...riskiest time for bikers and their pillions is the weekend..." I don't think is true.

Checking out my local area there are a few biker deaths in the time period, including one where I remember reading in the paper about the accident the day after I was filtering through traffic queueing up to the crash site. In the newspaper article the chap was still alive, but I guess he didn't make it. I recall it being bike hitting rear of stationary car or something like that.  :'(

Stay safe people.

[Kwikasfuki]

It would be interesting to see the breakdown per month. Lets face it, a lot of bikers involved in these accidents tend to be those that have either just started riding again that year, or the idiots that view summer as being the optimum time to treat the roads as racing tracks.

[Lonewolf]

From our point of view here in West Yorkshire we could obtain a monthly break down of the stats by requesting the info under the freedom of information act. (for a small fee).

[cpettifer]

The date / time is recorded against each incident, but obviously you've got to go and click on every one to find that out. I say that, but going back to the map it looks like the individual incidents have been removed. Is this just my computer (could be - our work network is funny), or has anyone else noticed this? I just get broad numbers for the area now...

[Lonewolf]

If you move the map or reduce/increase it in size the stats do disappear. But, no all the figures and dates are there. Its frightening that so many appear to be young males 20-30ish where I live.

[cpettifer]

Ah, OK, must be my work network being crap. I remember seeing a few push bike accidents were old folk (vs a heavy goods vehicle). :-( Then there was a whole car full of teenagers. Maybe this will be a useful tool to help educate...

[Boomer]

I'm quite certain it's the Weekend riders who are the ones most at risk.
How do I know.
Well, in 2009 I paid £420 for my years insurance on the GTR. (fully comp, 10,000 miles per year, garaged)
In 2010 when I renewed it dropped to £250 (fully comp, 25,000 miles per year, garaged)

As for the death map, around me it's all mopeds except for a nasty patch around the Dick Turpin on the A127.
I'll bet that most of those were Tuesday nights in the summer. (bike night)