Newslink February

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Learner bike
riders to get
new hazard test
An exciting new project has been launched
that could take the training of new bike riders
to the next level.
The National Young Rider Forum is working
on the development of a new motorcycle
specific hazard perception test, to be tailored
specifically to the needs of young riders.
Currently, all riders looking to gain their full
bike licence take a theory test which includes
a hazard perception test. However, it is felt
that the test for bikers has fallen behind that
of young learner car drivers, whose test
using realistic CGI is regarded as a world leader.
The new project would look to improve this
test by making it more realistic for young bike
riders. It has been funded by The Road Safety
Trust and will be carried out by Esitu
Solutions, a spin out company from
Nottingham Trent University.
Dr Victoria Kroll said: “Esitu Solutions is
really excited to be collaborating with the
National Young Rider Forum on this pivotal
project. We know that young motorcyclists
are overrepresented in crash statistics. The
data show many of the crashes they are
involved in are the fault of other vehicles,
particularly those with four wheels.
“This project seeks to improve the hazard
perception, and hazard prediction skills of
young riders, by showing those hazards from
the perspective of a motorcyclist riding in a
mainly urban road environment. This will
ensure the test will reflect the real dangers
faced by riders.”
Heidi Duffy MBE, National Young Rider
Forum, said: “Sadly, over the last three years,
nearly 12,000 young motorcyclists have been
injured in road crashes, and of those, nearly
4,000 have been killed or seriously injured.
That’s why projects like this are vital.”
The new test will be available in 2025.
Despite increased awareness among
motorists of how to behave around horses
on the road, the British Horse Society (BHS)
reports that 66 horses and three equestrians
were killed on our roads in 2023.
In total, 3,383 road incidents involving
horses were recorded via the equine
charity’s Horse i app last year.
This sad news comes after new Highway
Code guidance for equestrians was
strengthened in 2022, giving car, lorry, truck
and motorbikes more responsibility around
horse riders, on account of their increased
Richard Allsop dies, aged 84
The road safety sector has lost one of its
foremost pioneers with the sad news that
Professor Richard Allsop has died after a
short illness.
Richard was one of the pioneers on the
effects of alcohol on driving, an advisor to the
British Government and a key figure in both
the UK’s Parliamentary Advisory Council on
Transport Safety (PACTS) and ETSC.
Throughout his career he built a formidable
reputation in the transport safety field
through timely and meticulous research in
areas such as drink-driving, seatbelts, signal
controlled junctions, risk and choice on roads,
the safe system and the impact of the
Three riders, 66
horses killed on
the roads in 2023
vulnerability.
BHS says: “As part of our Dead Slow road
safety campaign, we are encouraging road
users to evaluate how they pass horses as
well as how impactful passing them too
closely and too quickly can be.
“Road incidents involving equestrians
continue to persist across the UK. Critically,
people and horses are still being killed. We
can do more to change this narrative.”
As part of its plans BHS is rolling out
guidance to motorists and equestrians
throughout February.
economic recession on traffic deaths. He was
a committed researcher who wanted to see
his research leading to policy change, not
sitting on the shelf.
As an academic he was highly regarded:
“outstanding” was the view of many. He was
a powerful influence on policy development
and the understanding of road safety.
His work was recognised by an OBE but his
colleagues gave him a greater accolade: a
true gentleman who went out of his way to
help others. It is no exaggeration to say that
many people today owe their lives to his
persistence and rigorous determination in the
cause of road safety.
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