Biker Down initiative launches in bid to reduce motorcycle fatalities

Biker Down was officially launched at Wragby Fire Station today (Friday) and will run for groups of around 20 people at a time.

It focuses on both preventing motorbike accidents, and educating bikers about the initial steps to take and how to administer effective first aid, when road traffic collisions take place.

Coun Lindsey Cawrey, executive councillor for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said: “Motorcyclists continue to be a vulnerable group on Lincolnshire’s roads and we’re pleased to be able to offer practical advice and support to help keep the county’s biker community safe. We have real potential to save lives before disaster happens.”

Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue is heading up the course, working in collaboration with LIVES, Notts & Lincs Air Ambulance and the Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership.

Mark Chance, Community Safety Advocate at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said: “The response to the news that we would be running this course has already been phenomenal.

"We already have a waiting list of people to do the initial courses, but we are running more in the future, so people can still express an interest in taking part at a later date.”

The free course is planned to run twice this year initially.

Erica Ley, Senior HEMS Paramedic at Notts & Lincs Air Ambulance, said: “Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance regularly responds to incidents involving motorcyclists and we recognise the actions of bystanders are imperative to improving survival.

"We’re immensely proud to be collaborating with our emergency service partners in this important project.

"The Biker Down programme is such a vital initiative for Lincolnshire! The three modules taught across the course will equip the bikers of the county with the necessary skills to both prevent accidents happening, and provide immediate life saving interventions in the event of a collision.”

Biker Down is already utilised by many fire services across the country.

Nikki Cooke CEO at LIVES, said: “LIVES have been responding to road traffic collisions for over 50 years, so sharing our depth of knowledge and skill in this partnership is a real privilege.

“Providing Lincolnshire communities with pre-hospital emergency skills is right at the heart of our charity and we hope those who attend the course have the knowledge and confidence to support injured bikers when they need it most.”

The course is free and takes about 3 hours.

To express an interest in participating in a course, email [email protected]