http://www.aroundthecorner.org.uk/   TAYSIDE POLICE   MOTORCYCLE AWARENESS CAMPAIGNTayside Police along with all other Scottish Police Forces are supporting the ACPOS National Campaign focusing on Motorcycle Awareness from 7am on Friday, March 9 until 7 am on Monday, March 12.As the weather improves, this is traditionally the time of year when many more motorcyclists return to the roads after the winter break. As this may be the first time in some months that some of them will have used their bikes it is imperative that they check them over for any potential defects and faults before they take to the road. Maintenance is directly linked to road safety and this is especially crucial when applied to two wheel motoring.To help promote safer motor cycling we are reinforcing the importance of motor cycle maintenance. There are many critical areas that should be routinely checked for potential defects but are sometimes overlooked due to the desire to get back on the road when the weather improves. The message that we are trying to get over is don't be tempted just to take to the roads without ensuring that your motor cycle is in a fully roadworthy condition. Spending just a short time on these essential safety checks may save you further expense and prevent a failure which could cost you or someone else far more than a few pounds.Along with roadworthiness, riders should also be aware of the road conditions and the potential dangers. 'Around the Corner' is a website which is aimed primarily at motorcyclists to make them think about what may be happening on the road ahead. Can you stop in time? It also details some helpful riding advice and specific safety information about many of the routes traditionally used by motorcyclists across Scotland. Visit the website www.aroundthecorner.org.uk for information and advice on safe riding.To reinforce the message officers will be patrolling our roads and carrying out road checks for the duration of the campaign which runs from 7am on Friday, March 9 until 7am on Monday, 12 March. They will be talking to road users, with a particular emphasis on the dangers faced by more vulnerable road users, in particular motorcyclists.The opportunity will also be taken to ensure that safety is not being jeopordised by vehicles failing to comply with the legislation primarily dealing with ongoing maintenance and roadworthiness, i.e. the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. Officers will also be actively dealing with any incidents of inappropriate use of vehicles, making full use of the powers given under Anti-Social Behaviour (Scotland) Act 2004 to warn drivers and seize vehicles when appropriate.Other factors affecting road safety including speeding, use of mobile phones whilst driving and failure to wear seatbelts will also be dealt with.Chief Inspector Sandy Bowman, Head of Road Policing, said:"This campaign focuses on educating all road users about the vulnerability of specific groups of road users, particularly motorcyclists. Hopefully we are entering a period of better weather and there are more daylight hours so that people have a greater opportunity to enjoy our roads safely."Having said that we all must remember that weather and road conditions can change almost in an instant and that road surfaces may still be affected by the vagaries of the winter which has not yet left us. All these issues have to be carefully considered. This is of course not restricted to motor cyclists, as usually there is an increase in slow moving agricultural vehicles, cyclists and horse riders along with pedestrians on some of our roads. Ask yourself what might be 'Around the Corner' and be prepared for that eventuality."Many more motor cyclists begin to take to the roads at this time and unfortunately we have found that this often results in an increase in the number of collisions and incidents involving this group. If a motorcyclist is involved in a collision almost inevitably it will have more serious consequences. Consequently motorcyclists should remember that if they have not been on the road for some time they should ease back into their riding and of course ride responsibly."A momentary lapse in concentration or attention to the road can be disastrous and it is imperative that everyone is aware of such vulnerable road users. All have their part to play in making the roads safer. Motor cyclists have responsibility to use their machines responsibly and ideally should wear high visibility protective clothing and make full use of their headlights at all times. I would urge all road users to 'Think Bike, Think Biker'." Tayside Safety Camera Partnership (TSCP) is supporting this campaign with enforcement on known motorcycle routes to encourage safer riding.Arron Duncan, Safety Camera Partnership Manager said :"Bikers are more at risk than other road users and injuries sustained in collisions if travelling at high and inappropriate speeds for the route conditions can have fatal consequences. It’s these outcomes we are aiming to reduce when we enforce the speed limits."Anyone who has any information relating to the irresponsible use of vehicles on the roads is asked contact Tayside Police on 0300 111 2222 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 1111.                                                                                                                                                                             

  Excellent article, thanks T C.   I wonder if the acronym was deliberate, MAC (for all weathers) lol   Also wondering if English/Welsh police are doing the same thing?                                                                                                                                                                                   

No probs, Sandi.
  Must admit I have only speed-read the article and haven't had a good look at the website but thought I should post it a..s.a.p as it coincides with a lot of Scottish bikers putting their bikes on the road for the first time this year to ride to the Scottish Motorcycle Show.   At least they are warning us that they will be stopping us!                                                                                                                                                                              

a very interesting subject teecee soundss like it could save a few lives ... petty i live so far away .   wwill defo check the website out tho                                                                                                                                                                             

Agree with you Spaceboy - having looked through the website there are a lot of tips which could hopefully help riders out wherever they are based!   Am quite impressed with the downloadable routes for the different areas. They have all been written by motorcycle police officers and give details of any tricky bits as well as where 'safety' cameras and food/petrol stops are.   Special mention must go to the Lothian and Borders section who have uploaded videos of officers riding their routes.   http://www.aroundthecorner.org.uk/regions/lothians/index.asp                                                                                                                                                                             

Well, it seems like they were making an effort!   I had to drive down to Edinburgh yesterday and all of the variable message signs had motorbike awareness messages on them, such as:   Think Once, think Twice, Think Bike   Check Your Mirrors for Bikes   Allow Motorbikes to pass safely                                                                                                                                                                             

TAYSIDE POLICE   RESULT OF MOTORCYCLE AWARENESS CAMPAIGN14 March 2012A total of 26 motorists, including two motorcyclists, were detected for speeding offences in Tayside as a result of the ACPOS National Campaign on Motorcycle Awareness that took place between 7am on Friday (March 9) and 7am on Monday (March 12).... Tayside Police, along with all other police forces in Scotland, took part in the initiative which was aimed at raising awareness of the potential dangers faced by vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists and included promoting safer motorcycling and motorcycle maintenance.Also during the campaign, 11 motorists were found to be using their vehicles without valid insurance and eight offences were found in relation to the maintenance of vehicles, in which three of those offences were found on motorcycles. Three motorists were also reported for careless and inappropriate driving.All of the drivers stopped in the campaign received either a conditional offer of fixed penalty or were reported for summons, and some had their vehicles seized. A number of other motorcyclists and drivers were given advice regarding a range of road safety and vehicle maintenance issues.Chief Inspector Sandy Bowman, Head of Road Policing said,"The weather was lovely last weekend and as predicted this hastened a number of bikers back onto the road. Also, many motorists and their families enjoyed many of the scenic roads in our area and throughout Scotland."Unfortunately we are still tracing too many people that are not taking heed of our road safety messages and are placing themselves and others in needless danger."This is only the start of better weather and longer days, so we would ask all road users, including vulnerable groups such as motorcyclists, slow moving vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists to ask themselves “What is around the corner?”. The message is - expect the unexpected."We appeal to all drivers and riders to maintain their vehicles in full roadworthy condition and carry out the essential checks on a regular basis. This can save money in the long run, and most importantly, by ensuring that your vehicles are in good working order this can help you avoid collisions and thereby prevent potential injuries. Don't regret this after the fact."Hopefully the weather will continue to improve and Tayside Police will maintain high visibility patrols throughout the area to educate and where necessary, enforce all aspects of legislation relating to road safety. I would ask all road users to have the greatest consideration for their fellow road users, be aware of their surroundings at all times and of course, comply with road traffic legislation. In doing so we can all enjoy the roads safely and reduce the number of casualties in Tayside." The dedicated website for motorcyclists is available at www.aroundthecorner.org.uk and we would ask all riders to access this throughout the season for biker friendly advice.