Keeping young riders safe | Police roll out new scheme to improve two wheeled safety for teen bikers

National Highways are working in collaboration with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to roll out a scheme aimed at improving road safety for young motorcyclists. 

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Under the name Project Apex, the pilot developed by Mark Fairclough and Pete Scholes from Beds, Herts and Cambs Police, will combat several key areas of concern that contribute to the disproportionally high number of 16- to 19-year-olds killed and injured on UK roads each year. 

Going live on Saturday, 6 April, the ‘Young Rider Course’ will offer enhanced road safety education completely free of charge to those who attend and may later be utilised to reform individuals involved in anti-social motorcycle behaviour. 

Upon completing the single day course, attendees will go on to receive a £100 voucher to be spent on PPE at retailer Bike Stop, who have supported the scheme from its inception. 

Scholes told MCN: “We’ve put feelers out to colleges and sixth forms, and the interest is really strong. For young people, there’s nothing else out there. You do a CBT, but that doesn’t provide any hazard perception training.

“If they manage not to drop it for a few hours they’ve basically got their CBT, but then they don’t progress from there. If we can save one life through extra training or money towards gear, then it’s worth every penny,” he continued.

“We want to break down barriers too. A big stumbling block is getting young people to want to work with the police, but once they’re involved, they see we’re human too, and we’re not just out to get them.” 

Basic bike maintenance, hazard perception training using VR headsets and roadside first aid will be taught on the day, and the importance of wearing appropriate gear will also be stressed. 

Outside of the classroom, youngsters will work on their slow speed bike handling and take part in an observed road ride for those old enough to operate an A2 capacity machine. Far from piloting battered beaters however, the course will make use of two brand-new Ducatis provided by Ducati UK. 

Speaking with MCN, Fabrizio Cazzoli, head of Ducati UK said: “We have a history in collaboration with the police, so when this opportunity came up, we thought it was a great thing to do.

“We can reduce the power of our Scrambler and Monster to 47bhp, if this might prevent young people being hurt, we thought why not?”

Initial response has been strong, with Laylan Fountain, an eighteen-year-old biker who attended a pre-launch workshop saying: “I really enjoyed today. It’s basically free knowledge, there’s literally no reason not to do it and it could save your life.”