Hello and welcome to BikeSafe.
I’m pleased you have taken the time to find out more about
BikeSafe. Firstly it shows that you have a love of motorcycling
like us and secondly it shows that you are keen to improve your
riding skills and become a safer rider. As a serving traffic patrol
officer, family liasion officer and police motorcycle instructor I
see all too often the results of poor riding and driving. Many
accidents that occur on our roads could have been avoided if the
parties involved had given their riding/driving the attention it
deserves.
All riders can improve their skills. Police
riders such as myself continually enhance our riding through
experience and continual training. Although this level of training
is not available to the private rider you can still increase your
skills and enhance your safety by riding defensively. BikeSafe
allows the private rider to have their riding assessed by a police
Advanced Motorcyclist. They will then be debriefed and any serious
weaknesses highlighted. We cannot offer the same levels of training
that we enjoy, that would take weeks. But we can however give you
an insight into advanced motorcycling and hopefully make you a
safer rider. Many riders that start with BikeSafe go on and
complete further advanced rider training with groups such as the
IAM and
RoSPA.
Along with my normal duties, I am one of a small number of
family liaison officers within the Road Policing Unit of Dorset
Police. It is our task to attend all fatal accidents in Dorset and
then to trace the next of kin of the victim. Sadly we are the ones
who have to knock on the door at any hour to inform a family that
their loved one has been killed. I have seen at first hand the
devastation and pain that these untimely and violent deaths can
cause a family, especially to those with young children. It is
unfair to blame all riders for all the accidents that involve
motorbikes. But sadly many riders are responsible for their own
downfall.
If you’ve come this far then take the next step and sign up
for BikeSafe. A few hours spent now could make all the difference
later. You’ll find that we are all bikers just like you with a
similar love of riding and bikes. Many of us are well travelled
riders, having toured throughout the UK and abroad.
Although we will be looking at your machines to ensure that they
are road legal and safe this is about your riding attitude and
safety. I hope to see you soon on one of our courses, rather than
having to meet your family when I next make that call at a door. As
you can see, racing lines and speeds are fine on the track, but
madness on the road.
Take the plunge now, it's only a few hours but it
could last you a lifetime.
Safe riding.
Chris Smith PC 1294
BikeSafe-Dorset Co-ordinator
Follow PC Chris Smith on
Twitter for information about BikeSafe and bike related updates
across Dorset >
Your route to a motorcycle licence
In January 2013 the new EU3D licence was introduced. Download
this guide to see the new routes to obtaining a motorcycle
licence.
Routes to Riding - New
regulations from January 2013 (688kb PDF) >