A motorcyclist has been seriously injured after crashing his bike while out riding for non-essential reasons during COVID-19

With the current restrictions in place during COVID-19, we are all faced with only being able to use our vehicles for essential reasons. This is a cautionary tale of why nipping off for a quick blast could be a very bad idea.

The rider in question was riding in the hills in East Lancashire at the time of the collision. The person then looks to have collided with a wooden fence at the side of the road, ejecting himself from the bike and wedging the machine under the fence.

After the air ambulance was called, the rider was taken to hospital where he said to have sustained serious back injuries in the incident.

A spokesman for the Lancashire Police said on Twitter:

“Motorcycle RTC in the hills of East Lancashire, serious back injuries sustained … Police, Ambulance and Air Ambulance deployed … The journey? Non-essential.”

So if the police were on the scene as advised, that's probably three or four officers on the ground from them. An ambulance too, that’ll be another couple of NHS staff out when they really shouldn’t have been. Then add to that the air ambulance, which is a crew of around four people and costs about £12,000 a day to run. That ride out has probably cost the UK tax-payer a lot of cash that at this time, really didn’t need to be spent.

When can I ride during COVID-19?

👍🏻 Only ride or drive when shopping for essential shopping.

👍🏻 Picking up medicine for yourself or a vulnerable person.

👍🏻When travelling to and from work that absolutely cannot be done from home.

Courtesy of Simon Hancocks, VisorDown - 15 Apr 2020.

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I know how hard it is to resist the open roads but please THINK carefully about going for a blast, bimble or trundle BEFORE you reach for your key and open the garage door.

The NHS, as we know are already at full capacity. Think what if? Another casualty, more Blue Light Services taken away from where they are currently needed most. The cost implications of a "quick ride out" are phenomenal.

Please Stay Home, Stay Safe🙏

Agreed linz, the temptation is great in this weather, put cabin fever on top and bingo.... But considering the amount of peeps on here just quickly nipping to the ships for a loaf of bread and doing a 30 mile detour.... I personally think that it is very selfish. Its just going to prolong the lockdown for everybody.... But hey, those are the real bikers as stated in chat room before...???

"I know what your thinking"
"Should I go out or stop in"
But been this Covid 19, the most deadly virus in the world, that would kill you outright"
"You've got to ask yourself one question"
"Dou you feel lucky"
"Well do you punk"                                                                                                                                                                             

Interesting thing about riding during lockdown.
Although I've been working from home I did have to go to the office for a couple of days. First day I took the car and the second the bike.
This is entirely normal for me, my commute is 25 miles cross country with very little traffic i.e. low risk; or more specifically the risks are entirely under my control.
And very pleasant the ride was but also a bit weird. I was kinda super hyper cautious (and everyone who knows me knows how slow and careful I am usually).
I guess I really, really, really didn't want to end up in A&E.
Its not just the thought of the pain. Not even the Covid 19. It's the hideous piss-taking I would get from the A&E staff because sure as eggs I'd end up in 'my' hospital.

I've been off work and payed by government, haven't been out on mine , even though you would not spread disease as you're covered with gloves and helmet , I just think if I had accident even if I'm not a fault , you're taking paramedics,and other emergency services time up ,when they should be attending more vulnerable people , just think how nice and clean you're bike is now ,mines gleaming 😆😆

That's good to hear zx-12r👍🏻
Gleaming that's the way forward 😁                                                                                                                                                                             

Thankyou for this post, I am a new rider and have been doing a local run once a week to get groceries. I am really conscious of the fact that I could be potentially putting another life at risk. Or taking recourses away in an accident.
Being a new bike is it not important to run it once a week. Even perhaps start it up and get it to operating temperature, charge battery etc?

It should be ok stud a while this time of year Blondy but a optimiser battery charger is a good idea                                                                                                                                                                             

Bills right about an optimiser, like a dufus I forgot to put both of my bikes on the optimiser before putting them up for the winter and it has cost me in excess of a hundred quid for 2 new batteries last week. Costly lesson, or rather reminder, for someone who has ridden bikes for many years.

Your right DS I hadn't plugged one of mine right in but the optimiser has managed to recover it                                                                                                                                                                             

Both batteries were flat as farts, hence the expensive lesson.                                                                                                                                                                             

Having power in the garage is a good idea if you're going to use a optimiser, sadly my garage doesn't.
New battery put on one bike yesterday other bike is still starting ok                                                                                                                                                                             

I know what your saying but I can understand riders taking the bike out. As the weeks of the lockdown steadily climb, bikers are seeing increasing numbers of car drivers whom in a lot of cases are not carrying out one of the activities allowed under the rules and/or the law as per SI No. 350 Corona Virus Regulations. Quoted because they differ from the advice on the tv!
Bikes are deteriorating and need to be moved. The news are repetitively saying that A&E units are literally empty. What do they expect riders to think?

Here’s an observation;
As the roads are relatively empty, car and van drivers seem to be driving even more badly, and speeding more than usual! They are not paying attention to their own driving - let alone bikers. So if you are out for any reason - please be extra defensive👌

Bikes are bits of metal and can be replaced, lives cant! Seeing empty A&E isnt an excuse to go out and fill them up. Adding to the numbers of traffic because somebody else is helps no one.

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Quote:
I know what your saying but I can understand riders taking the bike out. As the weeks of the lockdown steadily climb, bikers are seeing increasing numbers of car drivers whom in a lot of cases are not...
                                                                                                                                                                             

Obviously, everyone has their own views on this subject whilst also trying to adhere to the government guidelines but I have some points to raise, perhaps adding fuel to the fire, so to speak..
At this current time in my transportation I have a car, 2 bicycles & 3 motorcycles. One of the motorcycles is currently on SORN & I`m able to use this lockdown time to carry out some necessary restoration work & help keep myself sane(ish).
This work was needed because I wasn`t using the bike enough & the fuel had gone stale in the carbs, causing serious running issues.
The point of this is, with the increased presence of ethanol added to modern fuels, if your vehicles are sitting idle for anything more than a month then your fuel is going to start to go off, absorb moisture from the atmosphere & cause corrosion problems internally. These vehicles need to be used or the fuel completely drained out. Also, the battery is not the only thing that will go flat. The tyres will deteriorate, quite possibly even to the point that a flat spot will occur at the bottom from the constant pressure of being parked in one spot for long periods of time. And, of course, your brakes might seize from being inactive for so long too!
So it`s quite possible to make the argument for going out in the car or on the bike, for a long enough run to warm everything up, just to make sure it all stays in good condition - as long as you are still social distancing & act sensibly!
As a motorcyclist, I would hope that if you where out taking that short ride, you would still be wearing your armoured gear even on the warmer days; at least you would have more chance of getting up & walking away if you were unfortunate enough to fall off.
Just to put that into perspective; as I listed previously, I have 2 bicycles of which one is an 18 speed road racer. Under the present lockdown guidelines I can go out for cycle rides for exercise, which I have been doing every day. When I do this I generally wear shorts, t-shirt, fingerless gloves, trainers & a cycle helmet - no where near the sort of gear I`d wear when taking a motorcycle out for even the shortest trip! I have a trip computer on my bicycle that records my 6.5 mile daily ride
& at some point this week I reached a maximum speed of 27mph! On a bicycle! Downhill of course, but if I`d come off at that speed there`s a good chance that I would`ve needed hospital treatment. But the government has allowed me to do that, because it`s part of my daily exercise! And I wouldn`t mind betting that the DIY & BBQ accident rates have increased too since the beginning of the lockdown!
So, when I do some much needed servicing on the bikes or the car, I will be taking them for a short run to check everything works as it should & will be ready for the MOT`s that will all be due. To me, that`s not being irresponsible - it`s being safety conscious. When the lockdown is over I`ll be looking to take an advanced riding course with a view to becoming a bloodrunner in my area.
Please note that these are my own personal views & observations only.

Getting out on my bike is mentally therapeutic so I have been out to blow the cobwebs out of my bike and my mind. The lock down is totally unnecessary as proven by Sweden whose death toll has been nowhere near the curve predicted by the “experts”. The government has destroyed our economy by continuing the lock down long after the curve was flattened. The 4000 bed Nightingale hospital in London has only ever had 40 patients. The whole thing has been over hyped by main stream media idiots like Piers Morgan and public mass hysteria driving government policy.

*Do NOT feed the Trolls*                                                                                                                                                                             

Thanks Nick, I was just about to respond to the idiot 😁                                                                                                                                                                             

Ditto Nick and Steve.
Everyone does have the right to their own opinions.
As a fairly recently retired senior nurse due to health reasons I am in daily contact with friends and ex colleagues who are on the front line Covid areas and non Covid areas and they have never seen the misery, distress, panic, pain and frustration to such an over whelming degree before.
One who has like me 40 odd years experience says it's very weird, very eerie and very frightening I believe her.
Thousands have unfortunately passed but also thousands have recovered, just imagine if the lock down wasn't in place when it was, the situation would be a lot more devastating to families and the country as a whole.
The government may have got some of their timing wrong during a constantly developing situation.
You can't compare countries like for like. Take the UK 60 odd million people all approximately
England 55 million. 50,000 sq mil
Wales. 3 million 8000 sq miles
Scotland. 5 million. 30,000 sq mil
N Ireland. 2 million. 5000 sq miles
England has the greater percentage of death etc largest population within a 50,000 square miles.
Sweden
Just short of 11 million
With a land mass 173,000 sq miles.
There may be similarities with cities and towns but it about proximity and what the norms are for things in that country.
If things do get worse then the beds are there ready and waiting especially if they just use them for Covid patients and let the NHS get on with it normal cares and treatments etc.
Ok rant over, as I said at the begining "everyone has the right for their own opinions". This is just mine
Stay at home no unnecessary outings stay safe.
If I have upset anyone sorry but tough.