Summer is definitely the best time of the year to ride a motorbike, and believe it or not, riding a motorcycle is getting safer every year.

2012 recorded a drop of 9% in the number of fatal motorbike accidents compared to 2011 - 40% lower than the average between 1995 and 2005.

But with 328 killed in 2012, it's still a long way from being a risk-free way to travel.

In fact, if you compare the hours travelled on motorbikes with the hours travelled in cars, motorbike riders are 35 times more likely to be killed than people in cars.

Serious injury figures

The risk of serious injury on a bike is 50 times more than if you're travelling by car.

Young drivers are most at risk - 17, 18 and 19-year-olds are most likely to be involved in an accident and 30% of non-fatal accidents involve riders under 25.

More men ride motorbikes and, as a result, make up 92% of motorcycle casualties.

More than 60% of motorcyclist deaths are in country areas.

What is interesting though, is that country riding has less than half of recorded serious injuries and only a third of minor injuries.

This means if you are in an accident on a country road, it's less likely that you’ll walk away from it, speed is probably the major reason for this.

4 ways to ride safely

There are a lot of things you can do to make motorcycling safer, here are a few tips ahead of the summer season.

1. Ride defensively

Riding defensively at all times and watching out for possible risks are the two key factors.

Just because you have right of way, for example, it doesn't mean other road users can see you. You could be ‘dead’ right if you force your way into traffic.

Drivers might be ‘looking’ at you but not ‘seeing’ you.

2. Watch your speed

Speed may not cause every accident but it does increase the chance of serious injury or death.

Slow down if you don't know the road or if there are any hazards in the area. 

Bikers often don't sound their horns enough. Horns are a really good way to make sure everyone knows you are there.

If you get some colourful language or hand signals in return, well it just means they've seen you and you are safe!

3. Weather affects the road

We all know that in wet or icy weather conditions, the risks to motorbike riders increase.

Road surfaces can be slippery. But road markings such as white lines, cats-eyes, or crossings can be particularly slippery.

Other road users might not have de-misted their windows or cleared any frost before they started.

Mixing poor visibility and bad weather means riders are even more at risk.

4. Wear visible clothing

Wearing bright accessories can really reduce the risk of accident.

If you are injured in an accident, being insured can make recovery a lot easier. If you do run into any problems it would be wise to get independent advice from experienced lawyers.

Can you make a claim?

Finding out if you could make a claim is simple, just take the 30 second test below and find out how much you could be entitled to or call the team direct on freephone: 0800 740 8782

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