The DOE (Department of the Environment) say you can play your part in Road Safety Week – this week from 21st to 27th November 2011 .
The message from the DOE is that every single one of us must do our best to keep our roads safe.
The general DOE advice as a road user is that you should:
- pay attention
- slow down
- always wear your seatbelt
- never drive after consuming alcohol or drugs
- avoid driving if over-tired
Road Safety week pays attention to Pedestrians, cyclist and motorcyclists.
Pedestrians should always use footpaths, where possible, and wear bright or fluorescent clothing at night.
Cyclists and motorcyclists are also urged take extra care and make sure they are always visible.
Motorists, including drivers of larger commercial vehicles, should look out for these more vulnerable road users and use extreme caution at all times.
With darker evenings, wet roads and more traffic – everybody on the roads should take extreme care. If you make a mistake – it could cost you or another road user their life.
Motorcycle Safety – Focus – Ride It Right – Check Your Rubbers
While the DOE has to cover all aspects of road safety and all road users, focusing on motorcycle safety in Northern Ireland is the Ride It Right initiative. Ride It Right combines a variety of Organisations – Agencies – Motorcycle Clubs – The Motorcycle Community who have worked together in cooperation for the same common goal – to reduce motorcycle casualties.
Ride It Right’s, Trevor Baird says, “My thought was, what can we add on top of Road Safety Week that is specific for motorcyclists above the usual safety that riders have control off? Something that affects all riders, no matter what type of bike that is ridden, whatever engine size, something that should be basic and that thought is tyre pressure.”
Ride It Right is supportive of TyreSafe which is dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers associated with defective or illegal tyres and runs a yearly bike tyre safety month. The one thing all riders and motorcycles, scooters, mopeds, trike riders have in common and depend on for acceleration, braking, steering and cornering is the condition of their tyres. One of their top recommendations for tyre safety is:
- Check your tyre pressures from cold at least once a week using an accurate gauge
Whether you have put the bike away for the winter or are waiting for the odd clear day for a ride out or using your bike all year round, do you give checking your tyre pressures the priority they deserve?
Check Your Rubbers and take the Ride It Right poll which asks, “When was the last time you checked your tyre pressures?” on the Ride It Right website – Click Here
Also view maintenance tips videos from Ride The Wild Wind and Steve Baker Motorcycles through their You Tube TV Video Channel – Click Here
Road safety advice, mainly for other road users is available in the motoring section of the NI Direct Government Services website – Click Here
Useful links – NI Direct Government Services website
- Sharing space with cyclists (travel, transport and roads section)
- Sharing space on the road (travel, transport and roads section)
- Road and travel safety (parents section)
- Road users requiring extra care – Highway Code (motoring section)
- You and your bicycle – Highway Code (motoring section)
- Cyclists – Highway Code (motoring section)
- Police Service of Northern Ireland (crime, justice and the law section)
- Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (leisure, home and community section)
Other Links
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