National Young Riders Day

As part of the second National Young Rider Day (Tuesday 1 October), Essex Police took part in an educational roadshow, attending The Colchester Institute and Writtle College on Monday 30 September, to talk to young motorcyclists and students about staying safe on two wheels.

Ellie Henderson, Education and Engagement Manager for SERP, said:
As chair of the powered two-wheeler steering group, I was delighted to be able to bring together key partners, experts, and relevant agencies to support this important day.
We know that young riders are a particularly vulnerable road-user group, so we were grateful to both colleges to allow us to talk to their students about road safety.
The team had the opportunity to meet with hundreds of students to talk about how to stay safe on two wheels.

Students had the opportunity to take part in a number of activities designed to show the level of focus and concentration needed to stay alert and ride safely.

As part of the “Reaction Test”, students did well in tests in which they reacted to a series of flashing lights, following the patterns as quickly as possible.

Essex Police’s Road Crime and Safer Essex Roads Operational Co-Ordinator Samantha Wright said:
The Reaction Test is designed to test how quickly the operator can respond to the lights – it requires concentration and simulates the need to be alert to changing conditions, just as it would be on the road.
But doing the same test with a few distractions or holding a conversation simultaneously, showed students just how badly affected your performance can be.
Road safety is a priority for us and our partners and we want to ensure young riders have the ability and confidence to ride safely.
Staying safe on our roads should be a life-long ambition for every rider, something that can be achieved by proper training, making good driving decisions and being in control of your vehicle at all times.
This event is one way we can help young riders feel supported so that every time they take to the road, they will be confident and focused on the road ahead, respect all road users, especially the more vulnerable road users, and ultimately stay safe.

The students also enjoyed using the motorbike simulator, kindly brought by Devon and Cornwall Police, to experience some of the aspects of riding a motorbike.

A key part of the day was to promote the Street Spirit campaign which urges young riders to brush up on their skills and knowledge.

Ellie Henderson further added:
I’d urge anyone who is interested in riding a motorbike to visit the Street Spirit website. Here, visitors can also find a virtual reality film which provides an immersive experience of riding on two wheels.
A massive thank you to both colleges, for supporting us on this important day.

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