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Evaluation Of Bikesafe Scotland
CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
8.1 This final chapter of the report uses the findings presented in this report to draw conclusions and make recommendations about the future development of Bikesafe Scotland and other campaigns aimed at reducing motorcycle casualties in Scotland.
Trends in motorcycling and motorcycle accidents
8.2 Motorcycle casualties in Scotland have been rising since the mid-1990s, and there has been no fall in the numbers of casualties since Bikesafe Scotland was introduced in 1999. However, the number of motorcycles registered in Scotland has also risen since 1995, so it is very difficult to infer from this whether or not Bikesafe has had any impact in terms of accident reduction.
8.3 Older motorcyclists account for an increasing proportion of motorcycle casualties in Scotland. While 30-39 year olds accounted for just 14% of all motorcycle casualties in 1991, by 2001 they accounted for 35%. This suggests that emerging concerns about the safety of 'born again bikers' may be justified, and that older motorcyclists should remain a key target for motorcycle safety campaigners.
Satisfaction with the Bikesafe Scotland Assessed Ride programme
8.4 The evaluation found that Bikesafe Scotland is viewed very positively, both by participants and by stakeholders in the motorcycle community. Almost 100% of respondents to the surveys thought Bikesafe had been 'very' or 'fairly' useful, and the vast majority said they would recommend it to others and that all motorcyclists should be encouraged to go on the Bikesafe Scotland Assessed Ride scheme.
8.5 Qualitative interviewees highlighted the fact that Bikesafe Scotland is free, and therefore attracts people who might otherwise be deterred from advanced training by the cost involved, as a key strength. The issue of cost is a key consideration if private training providers were to become involved in either Bikesafe or another scheme - if they levied a charge on participants, would this deter many people who would benefit from the scheme from taking part?
8.6 The contribution of Bikesafe Scotland towards improving relations between the police and the motorcycle community was also identified as an important strength of the scheme. Any plans to alter or replace Bikesafe Scotland would need to consider the potential impact of this in terms of damaging or weakening these relationships.
Impact of Bikesafe Scotland on participants' attitudes and behaviour
8.7 Findings on the impact of Bikesafe Scotland on the behaviour and attitudes of participants were somewhat mixed. There seemed to be an improvement in the proportion of respondents saying they 'never' or 'hardly ever' "brake too quickly on a slippery road" or "find your back wheel slipping away when you take a bend, almost causing you to lose control". These types of riding behaviour appear to be associated with control over the bike. Since "loss of control" was identified as the most common precipitating factor in fatal motorcycle accidents where the motorcyclist was judged to be primarily responsible in a TRL report based on analysis of police fatal accident reports (Lynam et al, 2001), this appears to be a positive outcome for Bikesafe.
8.8 Participants also seem to feel that Bikesafe has a positive impact on their riding behaviour. Less than 5% of participants agreed with the statement "Bikesafe did not make any difference to the way I ride my bike" and over three quarters agreed that Bikesafe had taught them to ride more defensively. 'Defensive riding' is difficult to measure quantitatively. However, the fact that around a third of all respondents said that the most useful elements of Bikesafe were tips about 'traffic awareness, looking ahead and reading the roads correctly' - all elements associated with defensive riding - suggests that Bikesafe was fairly successful in promoting defensive riding.
8.9 However, in relation to riding speed, while the proportion of respondents saying they would normally ride below the speed limit in roads in obviously built-up areas increased after participation in Bikesafe, the proportion saying they would ride at 10mph or more above the speed limit on faster roads in non-built up areas also increased. The proportion of post-course participants who say they often exceed the speed limit on motorways and on country roads is higher than the proportion of pre-course participants, while a higher proportion of post-course participants say they 'never or hardly ever' exceed the speed limit in town. This can be seen in terms of an improvement in participants' concern for safety while riding in built-up, residential areas where they are likely to come into contact with many other road users. However, given that the proportion of serious and fatal motorcycle accidents is much higher in non-built up areas, the findings relating to participants' speeds on these roads are cause for concern.
8.10 The findings above perhaps suggest that while the Assessed Ride scheme has a positive effect on participants' feelings of control over their bike, it is less successful in addressing speeding among participants. In fact, it may be that one follows on from the other - participants feel more in control of their bikes and therefore are comfortable riding at higher speeds. It is worth noting that some forces have modified the content of their Bikesafe Scotland programme to focus more on attitudes to riding, and it is possible that attitudes to speed could be tackled in this context.
Resources
8.11 Many interviewees suggested that Bikesafe Scotland could be improved if it was better publicised, or if it tried to attract more participants from key target groups. However, representatives from the eight Scottish forces suggested that they could not do more without more resources. In fact, lack of resources have led to assessed rides being cancelled and to the programme being scaled back in some areas. Any further expansion or development of the Bikesafe Scotland scheme is likely to be difficult unless dedicated resources are made available for this.
Involving alternative training providers
8.12 One option for reducing the pull of Bikesafe Scotland on police resources which might otherwise be devoted to operational duties would be to involve alternative training providers from the private or voluntary sector in the provision of Bikesafe or a similar scheme. In addition to the issue of cost, mentioned above, a key issue is whether the loss of involvement by trained police motorcyclists would mean that the scheme loses some of its attraction to participants. It may be that some kind of combined scheme, with input from both the police and private and voluntary training providers, could be investigated.
Target groups
8.13 There was debate over whether Bikesafe Scotland attracts the right target groups. It was suggested that it tends to be "preaching to the converted", in that the people who go on it are the kind of people who are interested in being safe riders and would take advanced training anyway. This claim found some support in the finding that 85% of respondents to the pre-course survey said they were taking Bikesafe to improve their safety while riding.
8.14 Findings from the survey suggested that Bikesafe Scotland is relatively successful in attracting 'born again bikers' and riders who obtained their licence through the Direct Access scheme. Although 27% of respondents to the pre-course survey said they rode sports bikes, a number of qualitative interviewees suggested that Bikesafe could be doing more to target sports bike riders. If sports bike riders are particularly at risk of accidents, partly because of the power and speed of the bikes they ride, then steps could be taken to attract more of these riders to Bikesafe or similar schemes. Suggestions for doing so focused on targeting sports bike riders "on their own turf" - e.g. at track days or on roads they often use.
Encouraging participation in further training
8.15 Concerns were raised over whether participants in Bikesafe Scotland are going on to take advanced motorcycle training, or whether they see Bikesafe as sufficient in itself. Overall, two-thirds of participants said their Bikesafe assessor had not suggested they undertake any further training. This may suggest that the advanced training message could be better promoted by Bikesafe organisers.
Involving additional stakeholders from the motorcycle industry
8.16 Although Bikesafe organisers have made an effort to involve local dealers in promoting Bikesafe Scotland, the qualitative interviews suggested that there was scope to get more dealers involved in terms of promoting Bikesafe in their shop and through customer evenings, and even persuading them to offer discounts for Bikesafe participants. Interviews with insurers suggested there may be scope for securing discounts on insurance for Bikesafe participants - something that Bikesafe Northern Ireland have already achieved.
Alternatives to prosecution
8.17 While there is some support for offering training as an alternative to prosecution to motorcyclists who are involved in minor offences, it was generally felt that it would be inappropriate for the Bikesafe Scotland Assessed Ride programme to play this role since the assessed ride does not include any actual training. Further, if consideration is being given to such a scheme, it would need to be run by independent training providers, not the police, to avoid the perception of a conflict of interest.
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