UK “8th most dangerous place to be a biker”

**Bob** · 23rd January 2008, 01:54

If you are planning an overseas tour in Europe, then the safest roads in Europe to ride a motorbike are in Norway, Denmark and Finland.

The most dangerous are in Slovenia, with Hungary and the Czech Republic close behind.

Britain ranks eighth in terms of being “most dangerous”.

Sadly, the report was also asked to come up with ways of improving the statistics – and concluded placing more speed cameras on the road.

**Bikernereid** · 23rd January 2008, 02:08

What a joke the RAC and AA said that so many accidents on the M25 were caused by speed camera with people having to break sharply to get from 70mph to 30mph and then others plowing up thier rear end. They suggested that the highways agency use variable speed restrictions that are sensible and vary accoridng to the road situation at the time. How stupid to have speed cameras for 30mph at 3am in the morning when there is little traffic.

The speed cameras are just another way for the government to tax people!!

Did this report mention the amount of people on the roads in these countries and did it focus upon different accident figures for particular times of the year?

Originally Posted by Bob

If you are planning an overseas tour in Europe, then the safest roads in Europe to ride a motorbike are in Norway, Denmark and Finland.

The most dangerous are in Slovenia, with Hungary and the Czech Republic close behind.

Britain ranks eighth in terms of being “most dangerous”.

Sadly, the report was also asked to come up with ways of improving the statistics – and concluded placing more speed cameras on the road.

**DingoZ** · 23rd January 2008, 02:16

Any indications as to Why the Uk ranks eighth...

Having never been there would not know what the roads are like....Nor the traffic situation..

Was it any one particular factor they looked at, ie roading or ..???

But considering I would like to one day travel to the Uk and the method of travel I am looking at is touring on a bike, just curious as to how come it ranks so high..?

**Bob** · 23rd January 2008, 03:28

As to all the questions... to be honest, I don't know!

What I've reported is all I found when running my normal news search. This is from a report by the European Union I understand.

The cameras thing - well of course there are strict rules regarding their placement. There must have been 8 incidents (understand injury of death) recorded in 3 years for a camera to be placed.

As for why we're 8th? Well I'd guess a combination of very busy roads (50-odd million people on a tiny island - compare this to what, 4 million in NZ... and you have larger islands than us), road conditions not being as good as they could be (road surfaces should be replaced every 20 years and I believe the actual figure is way, way behind this). Add that to our variable weather conditions and it gets a bit risky!

I'm amazed Turkey didn't make the top three - their road surfaces aren't too bad, but oh dear, the standard of driving... shudder.

**DingoZ** · 23rd January 2008, 03:45

Cheers for that.....Still think it won;t put me off from coming over and touring on a bike.. Fore warned is fore armed I suppose.

**Bikernereid** · 23rd January 2008, 06:27

There are worse places you could be riding your bike around. You just have to remember that every other person on the road is a dickhead and this should help. I would concur with the road standards in some areas but it always feels like they are working on the motorways you are on that particular day!

I would stay off the motorways as much as you can because most of them are that boring you will fall asleep on your bike. If you have the time try the b roads for a more enjoyable and 'challenging' ride.

Originally Posted by DingoZ

Cheers for that.....Still think it won;t put me off from coming over and touring on a bike.. Fore warned is fore armed I suppose.

**Dave Lobster** · 30th January 2008, 19:02

Originally Posted by Bob

The cameras thing - well of course there are strict rules regarding their placement. There must have been 8 incidents (understand injury of death) recorded in 3 years for a camera to be placed.

Yes, but not strictly how they're placed. For instance.. a small road crosses a major road (via a bridge or something.) If there's been a couple of incidents on that little road, then the local council is well within their rights to put a camera with a certain distance of where they happen. They don't need to be on that particular road. So.. you end up with a camera on the main road.. collecting revenue where there has been no crash up til that point.

**YellowDog** · 30th January 2008, 19:47

Like BN asks, what are these stats based upon.

I did a Motorbike refresher course 3 years ago, as I hadn't ridden for a while. On the third morning there was a lady asking to see the head of the riding school. She shook his hand and gave him a bottle of wine. He ask if he'd won the lottery? She said she was from the local hospital and that 10 years ago, on average 80% of the patients on her orthopaedic ward were motor-bike accidents. Now it averages less than 15%. She said that this speaks volumes for the high standards of modern bike training.

Having done a lot of riding in the UK and also Europe, I would say that Auckland is a lot easier and a safer riding city than London, Paris, Madrid, or Rome. AND as for Athens, don't even go there (or if you do, be very careful). May be it's Auckland's smaller size. Brussels is definately the safest city I have every riden. I realise that a couple of days driving in each place is not enough to form a very accurate opinion. Maybe the UK coming 8th worst isn't that bad? When visiting any foreign country, especially if they drive on the other side of the road, you will always be extra careful anyway, so I suspect that tourists bikers will be very safe whilst trying to get used to the subtle differences (this was certainly my experience).

IMO - NZ riders would not have any problems at all in the UK (apart from the NZ turning left give way thingy).

**Grahameeboy** · 30th January 2008, 19:52

Originally Posted by Bob

As to all the questions... to be honest, I don't know!

What I've reported is all I found when running my normal news search. This is from a report by the European Union I understand.

The cameras thing - well of course there are strict rules regarding their placement. There must have been 8 incidents (understand injury of death) recorded in 3 years for a camera to be placed.

As for why we're 8th? Well I'd guess a combination of very busy roads (50-odd million people on a tiny island - compare this to what, 4 million in NZ... and you have larger islands than us), road conditions not being as good as they could be (road surfaces should be replaced every 20 years and I believe the actual figure is way, way behind this). Add that to our variable weather conditions and it gets a bit risky!

I'm amazed Turkey didn't make the top three - their road surfaces aren't too bad, but oh dear, the standard of driving... shudder.

That is 8th in Europe, NZ is still in the top 3 in the World.

**Grahameeboy** · 30th January 2008, 20:01

According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau figures for 2005, Australia:
• Ranked 7th out of 15 nations for road deaths per 100 million vehicle kilometres travelled (0.8 deaths). In 2004 Australian ranked 4th and in 2003 it was 3rd.
• Ranked 11th out of the 26 OECD nations for road deaths per 100,000 population (with eight deaths per 100,000). In 2004 and 2003 Australia was also ranked 11th.
• Ranked 9th out of 25 nations for road deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles (1.2 deaths). Last year Australia was also ranked 9th, but it ranked 7th in 2003.
Countries doing better than Australia’s result of 8 road deaths per 100,000 population in 2005 were Netherlands (4.6), Norway (4.9), Sweden (4.9), Great Britain (5.5), Switzerland (5.5) Denmark (6.1), Japan (6.2), Iceland (6.3), Germany (6.5) and Finland (7.2).
Between 2004 and 2005 there was a seven per cent fall in the OECD median road death rate per 100,000 population, but Australian’s rate rose two per cent.
The countries doing better than Australia’s result of 1.2 deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles were Switzerland (0.8), Norway (0.8), Iceland (0.8), Netherlands (0.9), Sweden (0.9), Japan (1.0), Great Britain (1.0) and Germany (1.0).
Australia’s rate have deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles has stayed stuck at 1.2 since 2003, compared to a stead decline in previous years.
The countries doing better Australia’s rate of 0.8 per 100 million vehicle kilometres travelled were Sweden (0.6), Great Britain (0.6), Norway (0.6), Finland (0.7), Switzerland (0.7) and Germany (0.8).
Australia’s death rate per 100 million kilometres has stayed static at 0.8 since 2003.

**YellowDog** · 31st January 2008, 06:14

Originally Posted by Grahameeboy

That is 8th in Europe, NZ is still in the top 3 in the World.

Is that the top 3 worst?

Doesn't seem that bad and the speed limit is relatively low.

Though those NZ car drivers overtaking via the inside lane @ >120kph is something I am struggling to get used to.

Plus NZ gets more thsan it fair share of Drunk Drivers on the road.

**xgnr** · 31st January 2008, 07:16

Walking to a meeting in London (Close to Waterloo) about lunch time today and this guy on an old Honda midsize something turned into a lane just behind me, lost the rear, over corrected and came straight at me, missed by a metre then straight into a shop front. What a noise

We picked the poor bugger up, lucky no injuries, not often you can go straight into a plate glass window and walk away. Sez a lot for gear right...

Hope he had 3rd party cos it was gonna be expensive !

Although dry, cobblestones look and obviously are ,not a happy place to get yer knee down.

Hope you buggers are making the most of the best summer in 10 years.... sigh

Cheers

Stu

**awayatc** · 31st January 2008, 07:22

Originally Posted by Bikern1mpho

There are worse places you could be riding your bike around. You just have to remember that every other person on the road is a dickhead and this should help.

The place where only every other person is a dickhead came first..(safest)

**Grahameeboy** · 31st January 2008, 12:35

Originally Posted by YellowDog

Is that the top 3 worst?

Doesn't seem that bad and the speed limit is relatively low.

Though those NZ car drivers overtaking via the inside lane @ >120kph is something I am struggling to get used to.

Plus NZ gets more thsan it fair share of Drunk Drivers on the road.

Top worst..........I think that NZ has one of the lowest average speed limits so lower than say the UK but toll per capita is higher.