𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Pressure is mounting on the Government to consider making crash detection technology compulsory for motorcyclists amid warnings of a “crisis” on the nation’s roads.

Shadow transport minister Greg Smith warned: “Motorcycles account for just one per cent of all motor vehicle traffic, yet riders make up 21% of road deaths and 12% of all road casualties in Britain.”

Mr Smith described a “crisis we have failed to confront with the urgency it deserves,” saying: “Per billion miles travelled, a motorcyclist is more than 40 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than someone in a car. No other mode of transport carries such disproportionate risk.”

The Conservative MP said nothing is “more important than the first hour post-crash” but warned: “Unlike car drivers, riders are often thrown from their bikes, ending up hidden in hedgerows, ditches, or fields, sometimes tens of metres from the road. On rural routes, where 69% of motorcyclist fatalities occur, traffic is sparse and visibility is poor.

“A seriously injured rider may lie undiscovered for long stretches of time, even on relatively well-used A-roads. The difference between a five-minute response and a 25 minute response can be the difference between life and death.”

He said crash detection technology which can automatically alert emergency services is “not a luxury for motorcyclists but a lifesaving necessity”.

“Despite clear evidence of lives saved, the UK Government and insurance companies have been slow to support and roll out the innovation,” he said.

Condemning a “policy gap with real human consequences,” he said the “UK has not mandated such systems, nor has it offered incentives for riders to adopt them voluntarily”.

He added: The evidence is clear. What’s missing is political will. Until that changes, the UK will continue to pay the price in preventable deaths.”

Steven Robertson of Realsafe Technologies, the creator of the Realrider SOS crash detection app, said the innovation could cut emergency service response times by up to 50% in a rural location, and 40% in urban areas.

He said: “For too long, Government has dismissed the possibilities of crash detection for bikers. There comes a point when you have to ask why they refuse to accept the clear differences between road users and how accident detection is simply that much more important for motorcyclists.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We know motorbike riders face higher risks on our roads, which is why we’re exploring measures to reform motorcycle training and testing, and investigating why these collisions happen as part of our Road Safety Strategy. We are not currently planning to make crash detection technology mandatory for motorcycles.”

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