Call for effective safety message in National Motorcycle Week

5.57.05pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 6th Jul 2009

With motorcyclists accounting for nearly a quarter of those killed or seriously injured on Cambridgeshire roads, Jonathan Chatfield the Lib Dems' parliamentary spokesperson for South East Cambridgeshire is calling for the county council, Highways Agency and the police to use National Motorcycle Week to get a better message across to all road users about the vulnerability of motorbike riders.

Jonathan Chatfield said:

"According to the latest published statistics in 10 years Cambridgeshire has gone from having one of the lowest motorbike fatality rates in the country to the third highest in 2007 as a percentage of the population of the county.

"There were 18 motorcyclists killed and 99 seriously injured on Cambridgeshire roads in 2007 compared to six fatalities in 1997.

"That's over 23 per cent of all persons killed or seriously injured in road accidents in the county in 2007 and a 200 per cent increase in fatalities over 10 years compared to the national average of 13.5 percent.

"National Motorcycle Week which starts on July 18 gives those involved with highway safety the opportunity to raise awareness to all road users of the vulnerability of motorcyclists, including the bikers themselves.

"The current upward trend for Cambridgeshire is serious and has to be addressed by a more effective safety message."