Motorbike and cycle safety push

The Think Bike campaign aims to make vulnerable road users more aware

"I realised that if I didn't do something to make myself safer, the kids weren't going to have a mother either", says motorcyclist Karen Holloway who's husband Peter was killed in a bike accident in 2002.

Peter, 39, was killed when he came off his motorbike on the A272 while heading to East Meon.

Karen describes Peter as a "born-again biker" - someone who had grown up riding bikes, taken a break when he had a family, but had bought a new bike in 2000 - his "pride and joy".

The accident left their two children without a father and turned Karen's life upside-down.

She describes the feeling of loss on the Bikesafe website: "After the sledgehammer hits, you face emotions and feelings you did not know you had inside you...You cry for no reason, you cry for every reason. The biggest lesson to learn is the hurt never goes away, but you learn to live with it being a part of your life. "

Karen had recently taken up motorcycling herself and faced the tough decision over whether to get back on her own bike after Peter's accident. When she did take to the roads she found that, despite knowing what happened to Peter, she was not riding safely.

"While I was riding I was doing silly things and I thought there was someone looking out for me and I couldn't get hurt," explained Karen.

A Bikesafe assessment helped her own safety knowledge and helped with her own confidence and awareness on the road to the extent that she now advises on road safety policy and a keen advocate of Think Bike.

'Think Bike'

Reports of similar deaths or injuries to cyclists and motorcyclists are all too common in the news.

HAMPSHIRE AND ISLE OF WIGHT ROAD CASUALTIES 2008 Cyclists - killed or seriously injured: 116 Cyclists - all severities: 642 Motorcyclists killed or seriously injured: 252 Motorcyclists - all severities: 849 (Source: Department for Transport's Reported Road Casualties)

Sixty five percent of all the injury-collisions involving motorbikes or scooters occur at at junctions.

In 35% of those incidents, the other driver failed to see the motorcyclists (Source: Hampshire Constabulary).

Hampshire Safer Roads Partnership's 'Think Bike' campaign is encouraging road users to take care of themselves and take responsibility for each other.

The campaign is reinforcing the message to two-wheel riders - cyclists, scooter-riders and motorcyclists - particularly those who travel in poor light conditions.

A lot of effort is put into encouraging the use of high-visibility vests to make the cyclists and pillion passengers more noticeable to car drivers.

Police are targeting their efforts on roads such as Southampton's Northam Bridge, using vital safety messages on routes heavily used by cyclists and motorcyclists and pulling over those not wearing high-visibility vests.

In 2008 24 motor cyclists and one pillion passenger were killed on Hampshire and Isle of Wight roads (Source: Hampshire Constabulary).

There have been nine fatalities this year, but as we head into the dark winter mornings and afternoons, keeping these figures low is reliant on making cyclists more visible and drivers more aware.

PC Mick Gear from the Safer Roads Partnership said: "We're trying to get the message over to motorists while they are in their cars to 'think bike'.

Cyclists may not realise they cannot be seen by other road users

"A lot of accidents at junctions are the fault of car drivers but it is the motorcyclists who suffer because they are vulnerable and don't have a protective body around them."

Sgt Dick Partridge, who works in the St Mary's and Northam areas of Southampton, is keen to see young cyclists take more care on busy inner-city roads.

He added:"We need to get the message across that they need to be brighter to be seen by other people. The message to drivers is 'be aware' especially at times when schoolkids are going to be around on bikes."

Improvements campaign

Nigel Sign lost his best friend, fellow motorbiker Tim Reynolds, when he was killed at an accident blackspot on the A326 Marchwood by-pass junction with Twiggs Lane in September 2008.

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He and other bikers in the Southampton Motorcycle Action Group mounted a campaign to have the speed limit reduced and have better markings and speed-warning signs added to the road.

He told BBC Radio Solent: "Anything that helps people slow down, take that extra time to look out for two-wheeled users is a good thing. But we've got our play are part in wearing bright clothes, driving sensibly and keeping our headlights on."

Scooter accident

Debbie Norman from the Isle of Wight heeded the safety message about correct clothing. In 2003, just before her 17th birthday, Debbie was hit head-on by a car travelling at 60mph when she travelling home on her motor scooter.

It took five years for Debbie to recover from the accident

She suffered severe cuts, bruising, shattered bones, severe ligament damage and had her spleen removed. She only narrowly avoided having to have her leg amputated and spent over a year in a wheelchair.

Debbie underwent around 20 hours of operations following the accident and was in a wheelchair for over a year, but the emergency services who treated her at the scene maintain she would have died if she hadn't been wearing the correct helmet, jacket, padded protective trousers and boots.

Debbie told BBC Radio Solent: "It was a lot of hard work - it's quite a struggle to spend so long in a wheelchair."

Her father Alan, who now works as a motorcycle paramedic, called the impact on the family "devastating."

He said: "Its something I'd never wish to happen to any parent - to receive the news that their daughter had been so seriously injured. Everything at home had to be changed to let her stay in the house and I had to take four months off work to nurse her."

Follow more stories and get expert advice during BBC Radio Solent's Bike Safety Week on the Julian Clegg Breakfast Show from Monday 19 October 2009

The Think Bike initiative is a campaign organised by the Hampshire Safer Roads Partnership, Hampshire Constabulary, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and Southampton City Council.