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Evaluation Of Bikesafe Scotland

CHAPTER THREE: THE BIKESAFE SCOTLAND INITIATIVE

3.1 This chapter uses information provided by police representatives for the Bikesafe initiative from each of the eight Police force areas to present a more detailed picture of Bikesafe Scotland.

Participation in the Bikesafe Scotland Assessed Ride programme

3.2 The Assessed Ride programme was officially launched in 2000 after pilots in Strathclyde and Grampian in 1999. Table 3.1 shows the number of participants taking part in Bikesafe in the eight Police force areas in the three years since its inception. These figures were provided by the Bikesafe representatives for each force area. Where accurate records were not available, estimates were provided.

3.3 In total, approximately 1,769 assessed rides have been carried out in the 3 years since Bikesafe Scotland started. There was a slight dip in the number carried out in 2001, but numbers increased again to around 700 in 2002.

Table 3.1: Participation in Bikesafe Scotland assessed rides by police force area (number of participants)

Source: Interviews with police Bikesafe Representatives

* Where * appears next to the figure, the figure is an estimate rather than an accurate record

3.4 While the number of participants has increased year on year for Strathclyde and Dumfries and Galloway, the number of participants in other forces has either decreased or remained fairly constant. The main factor behind these differences appears to be the resources available to the forces rather than a decrease in applications. Central Scotland, for example, had one full-time and seven part-time motorcyclists when Bikesafe Scotland started in 2000. However, they are currently operating with just four part-time police riders. In contrast, Strathclyde was able to devote six police riders from a team of 30 to carrying out assessed rides during the week between April and September 2002, which explains the much higher number of assessed rides they were able to carry out. Lothian and Borders were unable to complete all the assessed rides they had scheduled in 2001 due to increased operational commitments following the September 11 ^th terrorist attacks in New York.

Format and content of the Assessed Ride programme

3.5 Although the basic format of theory session and police-led assessed ride is common across the eight Scottish force areas, there are variations in course content and the way the course is run between the different forces. This section provides more detail on the main components of the Assessed Ride programme, highlighting differences between the approaches of different forces where these exist.

Separate theory night or combined theory session and Assessed Ride?

3.6 In general, forces whose catchment area covers a smaller population (e.g. Fife and Northern) tend to run the theory session and assessed rides on the same day, while forces that cover a larger population (e.g. Strathclyde and Lothian and Borders) run separate theory sessions for a larger audience and then arrange assessed rides for subsequent dates. In 2002, 411 people attended Bikesafe theory evenings in Strathclyde of whom 250 went on to take an assessed ride. It may be that separate theory nights offers some economies of scale in terms of the amount of police time required to run them, although these benefits may only materialise for forces with a higher number of Bikesafe participants. However, there also appears to be some drop-off in the number of participants between the theory night and the assessed ride. The reasons for this are not clear - it may be that some participants had not scheduled their assessed rides at the time these figures were given - but it does suggest a need to weigh the potential benefits of this approach against a possible loss of participants between the two stages.

Content of the theory session

3.7 The precise content of the theory session varies from force to force. Most forces include some discussion of advanced motorcycling skills, principles for dealing with hazards, cornering, and correct positioning for different types of roads or situations. Other elements included by some forces are:

• Discussion of safety clothing
• First aid tips - In Strathclyde, Grampian and Tayside these are presented by paramedics who also show examples of the types of injuries that can be sustained if people do not wear the correct safety equipment.
• Basic motorcycle maintenance
• Discussion of motorcycle accidents and their main causes - The Strathclyde presentation includes a talk by someone who was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident about how it has affected his life. Central Scotland police show a video from Lancashire police to illustrate the types of situations in which accidents occur.
• Discussion of attitudes to riding - Grampian has recently changed its format slightly to focus more on the attitudinal aspects of riding as well as techniques:

Content of the Assessed Ride

3.8 The assessed ride part of the programme involves a police rider following the Bikesafe participant along a pre-set route and then offering advice, pointers and observations about the rider's technique and approach at the end of the run. This will often focus on specific skills such as cornering, road positioning, overtaking and hazard awareness. In general the route covers a mixture of built up areas and open roads. In most areas, the police rider will take the lead for a portion of the route in order that participants can observe them putting advanced riding skills into practice before their own skills are assessed.

3.9 Most forces, with the exception of Lothian and Borders, do not use any communication equipment during the assessed ride. This is partly due to their availability, and partly to avoid the perception that the assessed ride amounts to instruction or training. Police riders do not offer any instruction during assessed rides for insurance reasons - members of the public are not covered by police insurance during the ride, and if they had an accident while following instructions from a police rider they might be able to claim damages against the police. Lothian and Borders gives participants headsets so that the police rider can give a commentary on what they are doing and why as they demonstrate advanced riding skills. However, they do not give any instruction.

3.10 The ratio of participants to police riders varies between forces. Some forces have one police rider for each participant, while others operate on a 1:2 or 1:3 ratio. The length of the assessed ride also varies between forces, from around one and a half hours up to three hours.

Enforcement campaigns

3.11 Although the Assessed Ride programme has been the most prominent feature of Bikesafe Scotland to date, the initiative is intended to combine education and enforcement in tackling the increase in motorcycling accidents in Scotland.

3.12 Bikesafe representatives from each of the eight forces were asked about any enforcement initiatives in their area that target motorcyclists. They were keen to stress that police patrols target any road users who are breaking the law, not just motorcyclists. However, several forces do run increased high visibility patrols on weekends when they anticipate a large amount of motorcycle traffic - for example, the Superbikes weekend at Knockhill Racing Circuit in Fife, the Northwest 200 meet in Northern Ireland and the Scottish Motorcycle Show. Some forces use these extra patrols as a way of meeting and educating bikers, as well as for enforcement. For example, they might set up a caravan on a route which is heavily used by bikers and use static checks as an opportunity to offer advice and talk about Bikesafe with motorcyclists.

3.13 Several forces have used unmarked motorcycle patrols and unmarked video bikes (motorcycles with video recording equipment attached to the back and front) as part of their enforcement strategies in recent years. While these bikes do not specifically target motorcyclists over other road users, they have led to a number of high profile cases involving motorcyclists. In Strathclyde, unmarked sports bikes have been used in patrols to target sports bike riders. Again, the aim behind using these bikes has been to allow the police to talk to sports bike riders and show them that the police have something to offer them, in addition to using them for enforcement purposes.

Key points:

• Approximately 1,769 assessed rides have been carried out in the 3 years since the launch of Bikesafe Scotland.
• Although the number of assessed rides carried out in some force areas has declined during this period, the main reason for this appears to be resource difficulties rather than declining applications.
• Key differences between the way the Bikesafe scheme operates in different police force areas include: length of assessed rides; the ratio of police riders to participants; whether they run combined or separate theory sessions and assessed rides, and the use of communications during assessed rides. The precise content of the programme also varies between forces.
• Several forces run high visibility patrols during periods when they expect large volumes of motorcycle traffic. Some forces use extra patrols as a way of meeting and educating motorcyclists, as well as for enforcement.

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