BMF CALL FOR ''RUBBISH ROADS'' CLEAN-UP
19 September 2007 - BMF

Britain’s roads are so littered with road debris such as broken glass, metal, gravel and other rubbish, that they are a real and constant danger to motorcyclists and cyclists say the BMF.

Based on 2005 figures, properly swept roads could have prevented 1,565 accidents and saved 36 lives say Britain’s largest rider group, the 100,000 strong British Motorcyclists Federation. Further, say the BMF, more accidents (6.3%) are caused by road debris than the 4% of motorcycle accidents that the Department for Transport attribute to excessive speed.

The BMF has produced a ‘Rubbish Roads Ahead’ booklet and is now writing to every local highway authority urging them to clean-up the areas of carriageway near pavements, on the crown of the road and on the outside of corners and bends; in other words, the areas unused by other vehi cles but prone to use by two wheeled vehicles.

Motorcycles and pedal cycles have a very small contact patch between the road and the tyre say the BMF so even a small amount of loose material can cause a loss of traction. Road sweeping is a simple and effective method of road safety improvement that could save dozens of lives and prevent expensive and time-consuming litigation for highway authorities say the BMF

Debris can also cause punctures and on a motorcycle or cycle they can seriously affect the handling characteristics and often cause accidents. The European-wide Motorcycle Accidents In Depth Study (MAIDS) found that punctures were a cause in 3.7% of all the motorcycle accidents studied (Table 4.26). Skidding can also frequently result in an accident. MAIDS found that in 2.5% of the accidents, gravel or sand were present (Table 6.5). The Department for Tran sport reports that in 2005, 4,065 motorcycles and 444 cycles were involved in an accident after skidding on an otherwise dry road (Road Casualties Great Britain 2005 page 114). This represented 20% of all dry road motorcycle accidents and 3.2% of all dry road cycle accidents recorded.

An Australian study by Monash University, commissioned by the Federal Office of Road Safety, found that in 19% of the motorcycle accidents they studied, loose material or mud was present.

BMF Government Relations Executive Chris Hodder said: “Local authorities are quite prepared to spend a small fortune on traffic calming and other anti-speeding measures, but here’s a bit of good house keeping that we think will bring real benefits at minimum cost. After all, who wants Rubbish Roads?”

Cleaning up op Britain’s roads makes good business sense too. With the rapid increase of US-style litigation against local authorities, the BMF site the 1999 case of “Goldthwaite vs. County of Lake” in California where the Judge found that Lake County was negligent in sweeping the gravel from the road and consequently awarded 54 year old Tom Goldthwaite $1.65 million in damages after his motorcycle slipped on loose gravel and he hit a guardrail, leaving him unable to walk properly.

The booklet can be found on http://www.bmf.co.uk/upload/documents/1189709339_rubbish_roads_booklet_web.pdf

www.betterbiking.co.uk

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