Letter: Welcome road safety campaign focuses on the terrible cost of careless and inattentive drivers

It was most interesting to learn recently about the launching of a road safety TV campaign directly aimed at the causes of the greatest number of road traffic collisions and injuries - careless and inattentive drivers. Motorcycle Action Group UK has been raising awareness of this for many years now. It’s good that our authorities have finally taken it seriously.

For over a decade, distracted, inattentive and careless driving behaviours have been top of the road collisions league table yet seemingly being given much less priority than drink/drug driving or speeding. Excessive speed does account for the greatest number of the most serious and fatal collisions but by far the greatest number of incidents overall are caused by careless, selfish, lazy, unobservant and inattentive drivers and motorcyclists have often been their victims.

Dangerous mobile ‘phone use by drivers is an epidemic. Far too often, drivers are seen texting or browsing while waiting in traffic queues, at traffic lights and even while waiting to emerge from junctions onto major roads! As a motorcyclist, and one of our officially recognised Vulnerable Road User Groups, it is literally frightening to be on a busy road with little room for manoeuvre and notice a selfish driver giving more priority attention to a text message or their social media instead of observing and driving properly, safely and considerately.

As a consulting stakeholder in the NI Road Safety Review, it is most disappointing that the Department for Infrastructure have, once again, chosen not to engage with us in designing this campaign. It is hoped, though, that it will actively include motorcyclists in all aspects of its objectives.

Our roads are shared spaces and we all have equal right to travel on them but that comes with the equal responsibility to take care of not just our own safety, no matter how we travel, but of everyone else’s safety too. Motorcyclists are not blameless when it comes to poor behaviours and I hope this message reaches those types of riders as well as the poor drivers out there. Quite simply, the current situation cannot go on, we must wise up!

Martyn Boyd, NI representative for Motorcycle Action Group UK, Bangor