MOTORCYCLISTS SAFER BEHIND THE WHEEL

MOTORCYCLISTS SAFER BEHIND THE WHEEL Evidence suggests that roads would be safer if more drivers rode motorcycles, as motorcyclists are safer behind the wheel of a car than non-motorcyclists, according to a leading U.K. insurer. Equity Red Star compared car drivers to car users who also have an insured motorcycle, and found the latter 23% less likely on average to make a claim on their car policy.

The firm also adjusted the figures to take into account the different typical ages of car drivers and motorcyclists, and still found the riders to be 21% better behind the wheel. The results showed motorcyclists were 20% less likely to make a bodily injury claim on their car policy.

The insurer examined 200 million policies between 2007 and 2012. Rob Clark, Equity Red Star’s Head of Retail Motor, said: “A motorcyclist could, behind the wheel of a car, be said to be 23% better.” Clark presented the data during a conference organized by the Motorcycle Industry Association at the Department for Transport in London to examine evidence that increasing the number of motorcyclists on the road could actually improve safety.