31 March 2023

Bikesafe’s back!

He may be a highly experienced, professional rider, but Paul Browne nonetheless had to concede that taking part in the Bikesafe programme made him a better biker.

He urges you to follow him in picking up a few tips from the Gardai.

The team at An Garda Síochána have relaunched the Bikesafe programme, with the initiative extending to a host of different locations across the country.

Its goal is to bring down the number of life changing injuries and fatalities amongst our community by raising awareness.

This is achieved by advising fully licensed riders of opportunities to improve their riding.

Well guarded

This is how it works.

After spending the morning listening to a presentation and partaking in a workshop, the attendees are then invited to ride out with a qualified Garda from the Road Traffic Division.

On this ride out the Guard will assess the rider in question and a full debrief will be given upon returning from the spin. It’s really useful.

Suggestions may also be made as to the type of post-test accredited training that they might take to keep themselves a little bit safer on the roads.

As a professional motorcyclist, when I was asked to take part in the pilot scheme in 2021 I presumed, somewhat arrogantly, that I probably wouldn’t have anything to learn from such a programme.

What I actually found was a non-judgemental service in which a few small things that I could improve upon were suggested.

Why Bikesafe is needed

The decision to launch Bikesafe hasn’t been adopted lightly.

In the four year period from 2018 to 2022 no fewer than 894 life-changing injuries have been recorded among the motorcycling community.

Add the 93 fatalities that have occurred in the same time frame and the statistics present a problem that is both shocking and heart breaking.

This is particularly true when you consider most of these accidents are avoidable.

Just under half of these incidents happen at the weekend, with the vast majority of them being between July and September.

I found Bikesafe to be a highly effective tool when it came to keeping my riding on the public road tidy. I urge you to attend the same program.

Designed for riders who already have a full licence, you can apply to take part in Bikesafe on the Garda website. The sooner you register the sooner you’ll get out.

For your motorbike insurance quote, call our specialist team on 0818 945 950.