North West 200 motorcycle traffic next weekend
Written by author on May 13, 2011
The annual ‘North West 200’ motorcycle road race will take place in Coleraine, Northern Ireland on Saturday 21 May 2010 and police are appealing for drivers in the region to take extra care on the roads as around 3500 motorcycles are expected to travel across the region to attend the event.
These bikes are expected to use the regions roads, particularly the A75 and A77 trunk roads, as the riders travel to ferry ports at Stranraer and Cairnryan to attend the event and back using the same route when the race is over.
Police are warning motorists to expect high numbers of motorcyclists on these roads from Wednesday 18 May right through to Monday 23 May as riders may their way to and from the event.
On occasions the motorcycles will travel in large groups which should not overly concern motorists. However it is important that members of the public keep an eye out for motorcyclists as they can suddenly appear and are sometimes difficult to see.
Sergeant Billy McEwan from Roads Policing Unit said: “A common cause of motorcycle crashes is the so-called T-boning of the motorcycle by drivers who either pull out of a junction in front of, or across the path of an oncoming bike to turn right. These collisions could be avoided by drivers taking more care.
“Drivers should remember that motorcyclists are much more vulnerable than drivers, especially in wet conditions. A driver may walk away from a crash that a motorcyclist would not.
“We will have an increased road presence during this time and will focus on accident hotspots and promoting responsible driver and rider behaviour.”
