A new ‘radar activated road sign’ has been launched in a bid to reduce collisions and casualties involving motorcyclists.
DfT figures show that in 2018, 354 motorcyclists were killed on roads across Great Britain – an increase from 2017.
Of the 16,700 powered two wheeler rider casualties recorded in total, 228 occurred due to ‘inadequate or masked signs or road markings’ or the layout of the road – including tight bends and blind corners.
In a bid to combat this, TWM Traffic Control Systems – a Manchester-based supplier of LED-integrated signage – has launched new crash site signage, which provides a safety alert to motorists and motorcyclists, indicating a known hazardous area.
When a motorcyclist approaches the sign at a speed over the limit, a ‘THINK’ motorcyclist symbol will illuminate, along with white LED text reading ‘BACK OFF’.
TWM is now asking local authorities to review signage around known motorcycle collision hotspots.
Kevin Marshall, TWM director, said: “DfT statistics for 2018 are an uneasy read, especially the fact that 228 accidents could have been avoided with clearer and more striking signage to alert motorcyclists.
“We have a passion for developing equipment that brings enhanced road safety to both drivers and pedestrians.
“The new hazard warning sign was designed with the safety of motorcyclists in mind, and we hope that local authorities across the UK review the signage at their known accident hotspots, especially as we head into the darker and wetter winter months.”
The problem with these signs is that they are about as informative as ‘Time Flies Like Bananas’ they would just be ignored, unlike Highway code signs, such as ‘Advanced warning’ bend signs which are. The money saved from distracting uninformative scaremongering signs could be used to put riders through their Advanced riding course with e.g. IAM/ RoSPA.
Keith Wilks
+41
Limit points? My bike is already limited to 11000rpm and 6 gears, why not 20000rpm and 8gears? Those signs should say road closed for time trials. If they closed them off once a month we could vent off a bit of steam and let those bikes breathe a little..
Rogan, Bradford
--3
“limit points”? “balanced forces”? This news article relates to safer riding/driving on the highway..not competitively on a racetrack!
Hugh Jones, Cheshire
--44
Brake, brake, brake that’s all you nanny blokes do, no wonder there is so much respiratory disease with all that brake dust in the air! Haven’t you heard of limit points and taking corners with balanced forces? Those signs should say leave the bendy roads to the experts and please find a straight road like a motorway to drive your car on.
Lousie Whitehead, Manchester
+56
Mr Bloomfield says that these signs are distracting, but then goes on to say it would be nice to have other signs…why would they not be equally distracting?
If a rider or a driver is not sure of the severity of a bend – simply slow down and exercise caution, don’t necessarily rely on signage.
Hugh Jones
--69
Signs like this have limited use, just like the ‘Think bike’ signs we get in the Peak district. They are more distracting as you should be assessing the road or bend ahead and planning for that not being distracted by these and risk a consequential error.
What would be nice is advanced warning of a bend which has a changing or more acute radius than expected on the approach. The existing bend sign +/- chevrons fails to convey the severity especially when it tightens up after an earlier similarly warned bend that was easy (a ‘one for all sign’). The double apex bend is a good example. These catch riders out. An additional sign over the bend to warn of this or a grading as we get for the steepness of a hill would be far more useful than signs as above.
Phillip Bloomfiled
+100