Make bikes slower to save lives, says charity

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A row has erupted after an influential road safety charity called on the Government to limit the weight, speed and power of motorbikes.

RoadPeace claims that despite improved accident figures for other road users, the number of motorcyclists killed rose from 467 between 1994 and 1998 to 599 during last year alone.

It says that mile-formile, motorbike riders are twice as likely as car drivers to be involved in collisions that seriously injure riders and three times as likely to kill them. They are also more likely to kill or injure pedestrians.

The charity has written to the transport select committee accusing the Government of failing to get to grips with motorcycle-related deaths and demanding that ministers issue new regulations "downsizing" motorcycles.

The move has sparked a furious reaction. The British Motorcycle Federation announced it is quitting RoadPeace, claiming it had been betrayed by the organisation of which it has been an active member since 2002.

The federation also questioned the charity's figures, pointing out that the majority of motorcycle accidents involved riders of bikes with engines under 125cc. It suggested that pedestrians and cyclists were responsible for many collisions with motorcycles.

In a statement, the federation said: "The vast majority of motorcycle accidents are caused by other road users, road defects or by poor road design."

Sheila Rainger of the RAC Foundation said: "RoadPeace is authoritative and is listened to but, unfortunately, in this case its demands are based on emotion, not facts."