Bikesafe Scotland is a multi-agency initiative involving Scottish police forces, motorcycling organisations and the Scottish Road Safety Campaign. It is aimed at reducing the number and severity of crashes involving motorcyclists.
There was some research to evaluate Bikesafe and assess its effectiveness in improving motorcyclists' attitudes to road safety and their riding behaviour, and to provide guidance on the format of future education and publicity initiatives aimed at motorcyclists.
The Evaluation found that the initiatives seem to be successful in attracting 'vulnerable' groups of motorcyclists. It also found that the participants do find the programme useful and that it has a beneficial impact on improving their control over their bikes and encourages them to ride more defensively. The research suggested that Bikesafe might be improved by focusing more on 'attitudes' to riding, and by further promotion of the advanced training message by Bikesafe organisers.
The number of motorcyclists killed or injured on Scotland's roads has increased sharply since 1997, and motorcyclists aged over 30 years account for an increasing proportion of casualties. For further information see the Road Accidents Scotland link below.