Speeding bikers had better beware when riding on the roads in Leicestershire and Rutland; the Safety Camera Scheme has new camera equipment to catch out bikers, who previously got away with it because their registration plates usually escape the camera.

The Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland Safety Camera Scheme, which operates all the fixed speed, red-light and mobile safety cameras in the area, recently invested in some new equipment to tackle the problem of identifying speeding bikers. The equipment is the first of its kind to be used in the East Midlands and will help the Authorities combat speeding and lower the number of biker fatalities and injuries sustained on our roads. Speeding bikers are a major concern for the Road Safety Partnership in this area with just over 300 casualties in 2007 and 79 in the first half of 2008.

The new cameras are fitted to work in tandem with the existing mobile safety camera which operate from the rear of the vans. Mobile camera vans are usually operated by targeting oncoming speeding traffic as this allows the operator to get a good image of both the registration plate and the driver of the offending vehicle. However, identifying bikes is difficult because their registration plates are located at the rear of the bike and the mobile camera doesn’t pick this up. The new cameras are positioned so they record vehicles in an arc around the van,  enabling the operator to record a biker from both front and rear perspectives.

A spokesperson for the Safety Camera Scheme said:

“Bikers are one of the most vulnerable groups of road user and the risk of them getting hurt is increased greatly when they choose to ride at inappropriate speeds. We want to urge any bikers out there taking a chance because they think they won’t get caught that they shouldn’t risk it anymore, they have just as much chance being caught speeding as any other motorist.”

Further information:

Biker Casualty Statistics for Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland

Around 25% of motorcycle fatalities were crashes that did not involve another vehicle. (source: Department for Transport)

Motorcyclists are just 1 per cent of total road traffic, but account for 19 per cent of all Great Britain’s road user deaths. (source: Department for Transport)