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Evaluation Of Bikesafe Scotland

CHAPTER FOUR: PROFILE OF BIKESAFE SCOTLAND PARTICIPANTS

4.1 This chapter draws on findings from the pre-course survey of 2002 Assessed Ride participants to present a profile of Bikesafe Scotland participants. It examines characteristics such as age and sex, the type of bikes participants ride, their previous riding experience when they take Bikesafe, and their current patterns of riding.

4.2 A total of 324 participants who took part in the Assessed Ride programme in Scotland between June and September 2002 completed and returned questionnaires before taking part in the Bikesafe theory session. This represents a response rate of approximately 58%.

Age and sex

4.3 The vast majority (92%) of participants were male. Figure 4.1 shows the age profile of respondents. Respondents tended to be clustered in the 35-44 and 45-54 year-old age groups, suggesting that Bikesafe is attracting motorcyclists in the 'born again biker' age bracket, (although obviously these riders are not necessarily new riders or recent returners to motorcycling). As discussed above, this age group accounts for a growing proportion of motorcycle accidents.

Figure 4.1: Age of Bikesafe participants (% of respondents)

Base: 324

Source: Pre-course survey of 2002 Bikesafe participants

Participants' bikes and equipment

4.4 Participants were asked a number of questions about the type of bike(s) they currently ride and about the extra clothing and equipment they wear or use with their bike. Figure 4.2, below, shows the power in CCs of the bike(s) participants rode. Figure 4.2 suggests that most participants in Bikesafe ride more powerful bikes than this, with a large proportion (70%) of participants riding bikes of 500cc or over.

Figure 4.2: Power of bike(s) currently ride in CCs (% of respondents)

Base: 324

Source: Pre-course survey of 2002 Bikesafe participants

4.5 Respondents were also asked about the brake horse power (BHP) of the bike they ride most often. BHP gives an indication of the speed of a bike - the higher the BHP, the faster they can go. Results are shown in Table 4.3. Again, motorcyclists who do not go through the Direct Access scheme to gain their licence are restricted to riding bikes of 33bhp or under. The average sports bike will have a BHP of around 100. Very few respondents (2%) said they had bikes of 33bhp or under, while 25% had bikes of 101-150bhp. Just under a third (30%) of respondents were not sure of the BHP of the bike they currently ride.

Figure 4.3: Brake Horse Power of bike ridden most often (% of respondents)

Base: 324

Source: Pre-course survey of 2002 Bikesafe participants

4.6 Table 4.1 shows the type of bike respondents said they most often rode, broken down by age of respondent. The most common type was a sports-tourer (33% of respondents said they rode this type of bike most often), followed by sports bikes (27%) and all-rounders (16%). Participants aged 25-34 were more likely than participants in the older age groups to say they rode a sports bike, while participants aged 45-54 were more likely than younger participants to ride tourers.

Table 4.1: Type of bike ride most often (% of respondents)

Base: 324

Source: Pre-course survey of 2002 Bikesafe participants

4.7 The pre-course questionnaire included a question which listed different kinds of motorcycle clothing, equipment and accessories participants might wear or use. Some of these items are designed to protect riders (e.g. gloves with knuckle/palm guard), while others are designed to enhance the performance of bikes or the speed at which they can be ridden (e.g. racing exhaust for use on the road). Some are illegal (e.g. helmets with illegally tinted visor), while others are designed to help motorcyclists avoid detection by speed cameras (e.g. flash photography resistant plates).

4.8 Table 4.2 shows the kinds of items respondents indicated they do wear or use. Respondents' answers to this question were also analysed to see how many respondents indicated that they wore any items of protective clothing, how many wore items of unsafe extra clothing, and how many had made one of the listed modifications to their bikes. The vast majority of respondents (95%) wore some type of protective clothing, while a third (33%) wore some kind of unsafe extra clothing (e.g. open face helmet). Seventeen per cent had made some sort of modification to their bike that could be classed as unsafe or illegal, or that could be used to help the rider avoid detection for speeding.

Table 4.2: Type of clothing, equipment and accessories worn or used (% of respondents)

Base: 324

Source: Pre-course survey of 2002 Bikesafe participants

Biking history

4.9 Respondents were asked a series of questions about their biking experiences, from passing their test onwards. Among other things, these questions were designed to find out what proportion of Bikesafe participants gained their licence through the Direct Access Scheme and what proportion of participants could be classed as 'born again bikers'.

4.10 A significant proportion (43%) of participants had gained their licence through the Direct Access scheme, allowing them to ride a bike of any size immediately after passing their test.

4.11 Figure 4.4 shows the age at which respondents first obtained a full motorcycle licence. While 43% of respondents obtained a full licence when they were aged between 17 and 24 years-old, 19% were 35-44 years-old and 10% were 45-54 years-old. This suggests that some participants have taken up motorcycling later on in life, and may therefore be classed as 'born again bikers'.

Figure 4.4: Age when obtained full motorcycle licence (% of respondents)

Base: 324

Source: Pre-course survey of 2002 Bikesafe participants

4.12 Table 4.3 indicates that overall, 31% of respondents indicated that they had gone periods of a year or more without riding a bike since passing their test. Respondents aged over 35 were significantly more likely than respondents aged under 35 to indicate that this was the case, which suggests that these respondents may be 'born again bikers' who returned to biking later in life.

Table 4.3: Which of the following statements best describes respondent (% of respondents)

Base: 324

Source: Pre-course survey of 2002 Bikesafe participants

4.13 Respondents who indicated they had gone a year or more without riding a bike since passing their test (n = 102) were asked how many years they went without riding a bike regularly. Over half (58%) had a gap of 10 years or more where they did not ride a bike regularly, while a further 12% did not ride a bike regularly for between 6 and 9 years.

4.14 In order to provide an indication of how recently they returned to riding, these respondents were also asked how long it was since the last full year in which they did not ride a bike. Almost two thirds (65%) of these respondents indicated that between 0 and 5 years had elapsed since the last full year in which they did not ride a bike. This suggests that around a fifth of Bikesafe Scotland participants may be relatively recent returners to riding.

Accident involvement and 'near misses'

4.15 The majority of pre-course respondents (79%) had not had any accidents while riding a motorbike in the last three years. Fifteen per cent had had one accident, while 6% had been involved in two or more accidents. Since only 59 respondents in total indicated that they had been involved in an accident in the past three years, detailed analysis of accident type was not possible. However, among those who had been in an accident, the most common type of accident was one where they came off their bike while in motion, mentioned by 27 of the 59 respondents. Around three in ten respondents who had been involved in accidents said someone had sustained a serious injury as a result of an accident they were involved in.

4.16 Near misses, where respondents felt they only just avoided having an accident or losing control of their bike, were more prevelant than accidents among pre-course respondents. Figure 4.5 shows the number of 'near misses' respondents indicated they had in the past three years. Just 22% of respondents indicated that they had not had any 'near misses' in the last three years.

Figure 4.5: Number of times in last three years have had a 'near miss', when felt only just avoided having an accident or losing control of your bike (% of respondents)

Base: 324

Source: Pre-course survey of 2002 Bikesafe participants

4.17 Just 8% of respondents said they had been flashed by a speed camera one or more times in the last three years, while 18% of respondents had been stopped by the police at least once in the last three years while riding their bike.

Current patterns of riding

4.18 Figure 4.6 shows the estimated number of miles participants rode each year, compared with the estimated number of miles driven in a car or van each year by respondents with a full car driving licence. While 72% of respondents with a full car licence drive 10,000 or more miles a year, only 9% of participants said they rode 10,000 or more miles a year, suggesting that people generally travel less far on motorbikes than in cars, at least on a yearly basis. This is perhaps not surprising, since many motorcyclists only ride their bikes in the spring and summer months (the motorcycling season is usually seen as running from April to September).

Figure 4.6: Number of miles ride each year compared with miles drive each year (% of respondents)

Base: Ride = 324, Drive = 279 (all respondents with full car driving licence)

Source: Pre-course survey of 2002 Bikesafe participants

4.19 In comparison with car driving, motorcycling is a hobby for many people and is often a social activity. Figure 4.7, below, indicates the number of other bikers respondents said they generally ride with. Over half (54%) said they generally ride with at least one other biker. A large proportion of respondents (45%) either did not know how many other riders they usually ride with or did not answer this question. These other riders were most commonly respondents' friends, mentioned by 45% of those who rode with other bikers. Nineteen per cent of respondents indicated they rode with relatives or family members, and 14% said they rode with members of motorcycle clubs.

Figure 4.7: Number of other bikers generally ride with (% of respondents)

Base: 324

Source: Pre-course survey of 2002 Bikesafe participants

4.20 Just under a quarter (22%) of respondents indicated that they were a member of a motorcycle group or organisation. The most commonly mentioned organisation respondents belonged to was the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), mentioned by 21% of the 71 respondents who did belong to a group. This was followed by regional or local motorcycle clubs (20%), motorcycle 'brand' owners clubs like BMW (20%) and the British Motorcyclists Federation (14%).

4.21 Respondents were also asked how often they carried a pillion passenger. Sixty-nine per cent of respondents said they carried a pillion passenger at least some times, while 18% said they carried one frequently and 3% said they carried a passenger nearly all the time.

4.22 Figure 4.8 shows the types of things respondents said they used their bikes for. Their answers total to more than 100% since respondents could indicate as many different uses as applied to them. The vast majority used their bikes for pleasure riding, reflecting the fact that biking is generally seen as a hobby as well as a practical form of transport. Just over half (51%) used their bikes for getting to work, while only 30% used their bikes for getting around the area they lived in.

Figure 4.8: Types of things respondents used their bike for (% of respondents)

Base: 324

Source: Pre-course survey of 2002 Bikesafe participants

4.23 Table 4.4 shows how often respondents use motorcycles for any kind of journey, compared with how often they use buses or cars. While 37% of respondents use motorbikes 'most days', this compares with 72% of respondents who use cars or vans most days, suggesting that for many motorcyclists their motorbike is not their main form of transport.

Table 4.4: How often respondents use different sorts of transport for any journey (% of respondents) ⁷

Base: 324

Source: Pre-course survey of 2002 Bikesafe participants

Key points:

• The vast majority of Bikesafe Scotland participants are male and 67% fall into the 35-44 and 45-54 year-old age groups. This coincides with the age group accounting for growing numbers of accidents.
• Around 70% of respondents to the pre-course survey of 2002 participants rode bikes of over 500cc. Forty-three per cent had gained their motorcycle licence through the Direct Access scheme, which allows riders to ride a bike of any size once they pass their test.
• The vast majority of respondents (95%) wore some items of protective clothing while riding. However, 33% wore some kind of unsafe extra clothing and 17% had made some sort of modification to their bike that might be classed as unsafe or illegal, or that could be used to help the rider avoid detection for speeding.
• 29% of respondents were aged 35 or older when they obtained a full motorcycle licence. Around a fifth of all respondents had returned to riding in the last five years after a break in riding of a year or more. This suggests that Bikesafe is attracting some riders who might be classed as 'born again' bikers.
• Most respondents used their bikes less often than they used cars or vans, suggesting that for many their motorbike is not their main form of transport. Most participants stated that they used their bike for riding for pleasure (93%), while half used it for getting to work.
• Motorcycling is a social activity - 54% of participants generally ride with at least one other rider, and 22% of respondents indicated that they were a member of a motorcycle group or organisation.

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