Comment

POLICE are hoping a new road safety campaign will cut the number of motorcycle accidents on the roads in Teesdale and Weardale.

The dales' roads have for some time been popular with motorcyclists and police are eager to re-enforce the importance of driving safely.

The Wait a Second campaign urges bikers to take a moment's thought before making certain decisions.

Buses throughout Teesdale and Weardale will now bear the campaign logo and pocket maps are being handed out by officers to motorcyclists as they pass through the area.

The fold-away maps highlight possible hazards to motorcyclists along popular routes.

Signs warning Bends Dead Ahead and To Die For? will be positioned on certain roads throughout the area as a reminder of the potential dangers for those on two wheels.

The launch has been timed to coincide with the first bank holiday of the summer and the onset of the new biking season.

"There are some wonderful routes for bikers to use in the dales but it only takes a second to make the wrong judgement," said PC Mick Alder, one of the eight officers in the motorcycle section.

"If you are out riding this summer please respect the road, the conditions, and other road-users,"

Another member of the motorcycle section, PC Will Cousins said: "I ride motorbikes myself and I know what a beautiful part of the world this is. We want people to come to the dales with their bikes. We want them to enjoy themselves and we want them to keep coming back.

"But we want them to take a little bit of time to think about what they are doing and whether they are behaving in the right way.

"We believe in education rather than prosecution and if we can get through to the bikers then hopefully it will reduce the number of accidents we have here.

"But make no mistake, if there are people behaving like clowns on the roads, we will soon find out, because everybody has mobile phones now and it only takes one call and we can be on their backs."

Last year eight motorcyclist died on the roads in County Durham.

10:10am Friday 9th May 2008

Print

Email this

Comment

Add your comment

Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
	e.g. 123-123
Comment: Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored. Format Text:
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed ** To avoid register now or login