Bikers warned to stay safe on the roads (From The Oxford Times)

Bikers warned to stay safe on the roads

4:39pm Monday 8th March 2010 in

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BIKERS across the county have been warned: “Know the risks or become another casualty.”

First-time riders and those returning to their bikes after a long absence are at the highest risk of death or serious injury, according to Thames Valley Police.

Hundreds of motorbike fans headed to H Cafe in Berinsfield on Sunday for a safety day hosted by the force and Oxfordshire County Council.

They were handed leaflets and shown graphic pictures of accidents in a bid to get the message across.

One biker who attended the event knows the risks more than most.

Four years ago Irvine Nyquist, 49, was thrown off his bike near Andover while avoiding rubbish dumped in the road.

He said: “I was chucked to the ground and had to pray.

“I was left with cuts, bruises and a couple of cracked ribs but it could have been a lot worse. You can be very vulnerable on a bike.”

Mr Nyquist, who lives near Reading but spends a lot of time riding in Oxfordshire, has been a biker for more than 30 years.

He said: “Younger people are the most at risk.”

Between 2005 and 2008, 36 bikers died on Oxfordshire’s roads, and 1,006 were injured.

Police statistics show bikers account for one per cent of road users, but 20 per cent of road deaths.

Pc Steve Jenkins said: “The majority of bikers are responsible road users. It is just the one or two spoil it, and it those we are trying to get the safety message out to.”