Police support 2Wheels campaign

Police in North Wales are supporting a national initiative aimed at highlighting motorcycle and bicycle safety on the roads.

The two week 2 Wheels campaign, which began on Monday, and is organised by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), aims to raise awareness about how to improve driver and rider behaviour in the name of safety.

Officers from the Roads Crime Unit are distributing business cards to all motorcyclists they come across which have a QR that signpost them to the Ride Craft Hub as part of the national Project Apex – a partnership between the National Police Chief’s Council and National Highways to improve road safety for motorcyclists.

Ride Craft Hub have teamed up with the nation’s top riders to share their know-how on everything from cornering to spotting a ‘SMIDSY’ (sorry mate I didn’t see you) so the motorcyclists can enjoy their best ride

Temporary Inspector Jason Diamond of the Roads Crime Unit said: “Sadly, motorcyclists remain one of the most vulnerable road users alongside cyclists.

“Earlier this year we launched our Op Darwen campaign which is aimed at promoting rider safety and sees high visibility patrols carried out along key routes which have been identified as risk areas.

“Officers – using unmarked and marked police cars and motorcycles are on active patrol across the region and engage with riders at popular biking meeting spots.

“Motorcyclists are at a higher risk of injury and although a motorcyclist may not be at fault, their vulnerability invariably means that they suffer more serious injuries in a collision.

“Sadly, last year, 89 motorcyclists were killed or seriously injured on the roads of North Wales, a 3.4% increase from the previous year and 24% higher than figures seen in 2021 and 21% higher than 2019.

“These are sobering statistics, and as a keen motorcyclist myself, I, along with my fellow Roads Crime Unit colleagues are passionate about how we can work together to reduce collisions.”

Posters, highlighting the enforcement zones and information relating to collision causation factors, are now on display in wooden frames located at some of the biker hotspot areas in North Wales. The frames can be found outside the Ponderosa Café in Llangollen, Rhug in Corwen, Betws-y-Coed and Llyn Tegid, Bala.

T/Inspector Diamond added: “We’ve already held a successful engagement day at Betws-y-Coed where we handed out goody bags containing literature, a buff/snood and a keyring for bikers and we also promoted the Bikesafe workshops. Coffee-cup sleeves with campaign information have been distributed to local cafes and we’ve produced films that have had a successful reach on our social media channels.

“Every death and serious injury on our roads has a devastating impact, so we’ll use every available opportunity to promote road safety messages and speak to riders about how they can play their part in reducing the number of deaths or serious injuries on the roads.”

Notes:

• Motorcyclists are encouraged to take up the opportunity to improve their riding skills by attending a Bikesafe workshop. The workshops run until November and more information can be found via North Wales Police - BikeSafe
• Visit the Ride Craft Hub via: Ride Craft Hub
• Social media users are encouraged to follow the #OpDarwen #ThinkLife #2Wheels hashtags.