Giving motorcyclists the skills to ride safely is the aim of a relaunched training course delivered by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (SYFR).
Almost 200 powered-two-wheeler riders were injured in a collision on South Yorkshire roads in 2023, 100 of those crashes were serious or fatal.
The free Biker Down! programme offers motorcyclists of all ages the chance to learn practical skills to help avoid being involved in a collision, as well as essential first-aid training and advice on what to do should they find themselves first on the scene where someone is injured.
The session is based on the hugely successful initiative originally devised by Kent Fire & Rescue Service and is being delivered as part of the South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership’s (SYSRP) Vision Zero work.
Chris Tyler, Group Manager at SYFR said: “If you were the first on the scene of a collision involving a biker, would you know what to do?
“By equipping motorcyclists with the skills and knowledge they need to ride safely, we hope it will help us to reach our shared long-term ambition of ending all death and serious injury on South Yorkshire’s roads.”
The session is both classroom and practical based, giving riders who are first on the scene the awareness of how to manage the area for everyone’s safety, and provide basic first-aid skills if needed. While themed around a collision involving a rider, the skills and knowledge are equally as useful if you come across any vehicle collision whether four, three or two-wheeled. For example, as a rider you are more likely to filter through stationary traffic and be confronted with a collision as the reason for the build-up or come across an incident on remote country roads.
The new sessions will take place from 6.30pm to 9.30pm at Dearne Fire Station. Places are limited so please email bikerdown@syfire.gov.uk to secure your place.
Full list of dates for Biker Down sessions:
· 24th April
· 22nd May
· 26th June
· 24th July
· 21st August
· 25th September
