Watch out for SMIDSY!

This Easter we will be working on a road safety campaign which focuses on common collisions.

Here in North Yorkshire the policing operation to support the campaign will run from Friday 29 March to Monday 1 April and will see officers work proactively with motorcyclists across the county to try and prevent any “SMIDSY” incidents.

Motorcyclists are some of the most vulnerable road users featuring disproportionately in road collisions in the UK. The most recent combined data from the DFT and National Road Traffic Census from 2021 reveals that 310 motorcyclists lost their lives and 5,264 were seriously injured on Britain’s roads.

Five-year data from 2016 to 2021 on reported road casualties cites failing to look properly on the part of a rider or driver as the most common contributing factor in fatal or serious collisions. The data also reveals that T, Y or staggered junctions are the most common locations of motorcyclist casualties, representing 34.7% of combined fatalities and injuries.

As part of our operation this weekend we will be reminding all road users on how to ride responsibly on the roads and where necessary this will involve enforcement. We will be using our unmarked H2 Kawasaki road bike. This machine is equipped with blue lights, a siren and a 4K camera which will be used to secure evidence. As well as this we will also deploy several police bikes and cars, some of which will be marked and some unmarked as well as our safety camera vans on key routes across the county. Officers and police volunteers will also be using an engagement trailer at well known hotspots to talk to riders about their ride preparation and behaviour on the road network.

Nationally there will be 14 police forces who will be taking part in the Easter operation.We know that a vast majority of motorcyclists will travel into North Yorkshire from other areas so we will be working with nine police forces in the north of England (West Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Police, Lancashire Police, Cumbria Police, Northumbria Police, Humberside Police, Cleveland Police and Durham Police) to ensure that there is a high visibility police presence on county borders.

Inspector Clive Turner from our Roads Policing Group commented:

“North Yorkshire is home to two national parks as well as 6000 miles of road. We want people to enjoy travelling here but not at the expense of other road users.

“Engagement is a key part of this Easter’s operation but where necessary we will use enforcement to prosecute as dangerous driving or riding is not acceptable.

“Sadly, my team and I are familiar with the devastating consequences that are caused by serious and fatal road traffic collisions. We will deploy on this operation with the mindset of doing everything that we can to ensure that everyone who is on the county’s road network this Easter goes home safely.

“ I would urge riders and drivers to think about their behaviour and what changes they could make to improve their own safety and that of other road users.”

The Ride Craft Hub – www.ridecrafthub.org – will become a home for sharing pro rider tips from the best riders in the country. A guide to spotting a SMIDSY has been provided by charity DocBike, who work to eradicate motorcycle deaths. Better cornering advice has come from Bikertek in collaboration with Motorcycle News. And a masterclass on reading the road comes from PC Roger Peskett, a blue light rider from Thames Valley Police.