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Born Again Bikers Fuel Rise in Serious Crashes

New figures from the Department for Transport have revealed a shocking rise in the number of middle aged bikers being killed or seriously injured over the past 10 years.

The rate of serious accidents involving riders aged 40-49 doubled in the 10 years to 2006, whilst the figures for bikers in their twenties dropped by a third. The rise in accidents involving middle aged motorcyclists who often have little experience of riding but who can afford high-powered sports bikes has been a bitter note in the otherwise encouraging drop in motorcycle deaths per mile.

The phenomenon of the born-again biker, a motorist who rode bikes in his or her younger years but then switched to cars before going back to bikes many years later, has been blamed for the surge in accidents on UK roads. Pre-1981 motorcycle licenses were much easier to obtain, and many riders who qualified in their youth now have the financial clout to be able to afford top of the range bikes with top speeds over 170 miles per hour.

Official figures reveal that motorcyclists are 51 times more likely to be killed per mile travelled compared with car drivers. Equally worrying was the observation that a fifth of motorbike accidents in 2006 were caused by the rider simply losing control, no other vehicles were involved. Losing control was the biggest cause of crashes for bikes with engines larger than 500cc.

With road safety charities urging the government to introduce re-testing every 10 years for all motorcyclists and an extra test proposed for riders of bikes with engines of 500cc or above, hopefully the rate of accidents will be curbed in the near future. Until then motorcyclists are being urged to take particular care on the roads.

OneCallSortsAll provides a complete accident management service to motorcyclists who have been injured in an accident that was not their fault. If you have been injured as a result of a motorbike accident and would like to speak to someone about making a claim today, use the contact form on this site and one of our representatives will ring you back.