FREE BIKER DOWN TRAINING FOR MOTORCYCLISTS IN BEDFORDSHIRE

Motorcyclists are invited to attend free training courses to help keep themselves and others safe on the roads.

To help Bedfordshire bikers know what to do if they are see a “biker down”, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service is running free courses during the year for motorcyclists and motorcycle clubs in the county.

The courses run on Saturdays once a month between 10am and 2pm at Shefford Community Fire Station.

Watch Commander Martin Chalkley, one of the trainers, said:

“Whether you ride your motorbike with a group of friends or on your own, there may be a time when you are the first person at the scene of a fallen biker. You can do a lot of good if you know how to help them in the proper way, but also you can do a lot of damage if you don’t.

“This course shows bikers of all ages and abilities how to cope in an emergency and how to help their fellow bikers in the best possible ways. It should interest both new bikers and experienced ones and should help all those who ride motorbikes stay safe and be able to really help others if they come across an incident involving a biker.”

The course lasts about four hours and contains four modules:

Module 1 – Teaches bikers how to manage the scene of a bike crash, using the same principles the fire service uses. Bikers are shown how to protect themselves and others, how to prioritise their actions, how to collect information for the emergency services and how to make best use of the resources available, including other people.
Module 2 – Will show bikers how to take care of a casualty, including basic life support and the why, when and how of removing a crash helmet.
Module 3 – Looks at what may work (or not work) when it comes to making motorcyclists more visible to other road users. Bikers will also learn about how other drivers look for and recognise objects and how they can help to make sure that other road users see them.
Module 4 –working with Bedfordshire Police Roads Policing Team this module covers various aspects of the law and how it can affect people involved in an RTC (such as modifications to vehicles invalidating your insurance). It also covers the information the police will require after a serious collision, what to expect from the police after a collision, the court process, including what to expect if you are required to give evidence and finally a ‘frequently asked questions’ session covering several other interesting topics.

To book on to a course and for more information: https://bikerdownbedfordshire.eventbrite.co.uk

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