The Roads Policing Unit in partnership with other agencies would like to inform the public about the plans to manage road safety during TT and to remind people about the message “STAY ALERT – STAY ALIVE”. Whilst we are all familiar with the increase in traffic and congestion on the roads the Emergency Services still have to deal with many collisions during the fortnight.

Our KEY MESSAGES during TT will be:
Stay Alert – Stay Alive.
Don’t drink and Drive.
Think Bike.
Be alive to the road.
Drive or ride to arrive.
Enjoy TT but think of others.
If you are having a drink – lock it, leave it and think about whether you can use it in the morning.

We want to remind people who ride motorcycles to: Ride Safely. Your headlight switched on may make you visible and your protective clothing may protect you to a certain extent but there is only one way to ensure your safety – SLOW DOWN. Whilst riding is enjoyable it is a vulnerable activity and comes with great responsibility. Think of your quality of life and how easy that could be destroyed, not to mention those around you who need you to come home safe. Plan ahead and ensure you are visible to other road users.

Use appropriate speeds on approaching junctions and bends

Statistics say that 1 in 3 collisions involving bikes are during overtaking and the most common of these occur when another vehicle is turning right, or performing a U Turn.
Be as visible as possible to other drivers.
Anticipate that other drivers may not have seen you and be prepared for their actions.
Do not overtake near side roads or where cars may emerge from private drives/accesses; or do so with caution.
Be aware of oncoming vehicles which may turn right across your path.

Collisions statistics state that 1 in 4 collisions occur on a bend

Ensure speed is appropriate to negotiate bend without losing control, taking account of road surface condition.
Anticipate hazards that may be concealed by the bend and be able to stop in time to avoid them.

Speed

Many of the riders involved in accidents were not driving appropriately for the conditions, especially with regard to speed (in 1 in 4 of the accidents excess speed was a contributory factor).
Drivers of vehicles are often unaware of a motorcyclists presence. It is necessary for motorcyclists to become 'defensive' drivers in order to avoid becoming casualties.

Our statistics show that during TT you are four times more likely to be caught speeding that at any other time during the year. This is because of our increased presence and activity involving Speed Prevention.

Inspector Mark Britton of the Roads Policing Unit explains that this year he wants to make TT the safest on record:

“ This is not about preventing people enjoying our roads. We want this TT to be safe. I have reviewed last year’s casualty data and it is lamentable that there some people who did not go home from TT 2009, and that some went home with significant life changing injuries. My predecessor, Inspector Richard Power, said at the end of last year’s TT: “

‘The headline facts are that recorded road traffic collisions have increased by 19% over last year from a total of 83 in 2008 to 99 this year.

‘Despite that, the number of fatal collisions reduced from four to one. In previous years I have always grouped the serious and fatal collisions statistics together and this year it amounts to 28 against 20 last year. Having examined each incident I can say that this year the number of “life changing” collisions has reduced considerably. Although the overall numbers have increased, most crashes were minor by comparison.’ The data shows that 75% of collisions during the period, between Friday May 29 and Sunday June 14, involved motorcycles and half of all crashes occurred on the TT course. Inspector Power added: ‘Naturally I am disappointed overall by the collision data for the TT period but relieved to say that the type of collisions were not as serious as in previous years. The Isle of Man Constabulary and the Department will continue to seek out methods of improving road safety not just during TT but all year round for the benefit of the Manx public and our welcome visitors.’

Recorded RTC statistics for TT2009 show an increase in all categories except fatal accidents compared with 2008 (figure in brackets). There were 27 serious (16), 25 slight (22), 45 damage (41) and one involving an animal (0). A total of 52 of these were recorded on the TT course, 35 of which were on the Mountain section. The number of RTCs that involved motorcycles was 74 on all roads, 39 on the TT course, 29 of which were on the Mountain.”

The Stay Alert – Stay Alive campaign focuses posters around the Island which highlight exactly how dangerous it can be. In line with previous years the Roads Policing Unit will be growing in numbers. This year we have 18 Constables, 2 Sergeants and 3 Inspectors within the Roads Policing Unit. We will be increasing our vehicle fleet from 7 cars and 5 bikes to 14 cars and 5 bikes. This will increase our presence on the Island’s Roads. Our goal is to REDUCE road collisions and increase our presence to prevent death and life changing injuries.

High visibility patrols and speed checks: We will be conducting high visibility patrols on the Island as a whole. Our focus will be on structured speed checks using our pro-laser speed detection devices. The Constabulary’s Neighbourhood Policing Teams will be conducting early morning speed checks around the Island.

Collision Investigation: Officers who are highly trained in Road Collision Investigation will be managing the scenes of crashes. This will mean that where a Collision involves the loss of a life or the serious injury of someone the road will be closed. THE ROAD WILL BE CLOSED. The road will be closed to allow them to conduct their investigation, to keep other people safe, to capture evidence for any court case. This may take up to six hours. We will work with our partner agencies to minimise the disruption this causes. We have liaised with the Department of Infrastructure to try and have some contingencies in the event of road closures, however the Island’s road network is limited in what it can achieve.

Bike-Safe.

'BikeSafe’ – Bridging the Gap

Between Friday 4th and Sunday 6th June 2010 Police Officers from the UK initiative BIKESAFE will be on the Island.

They will be liaising with the Roads Policing Unit to develop the scheme on the Island. ‘BikeSafe’ is a police led motorcycling road safety initiative for full licence holders offered by the majority of police forces in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The core goal of ‘BikeSafe’ is motorcyclist casualty reduction. Through classroom sessions using an award winning DVD based curriculum and an on-road observed ride element, the scheme gives motorcyclists an insight into the causes of collisions, attitudinal issues and the solutions that emergency service riders employ to stay safer whilst on the road. 'BikeSafe' seeks to bridge the gap between passing the motorcycle test and undertaking accredited training.

On Sunday 6th June 2010 it is hoped that some of these classes will be available at the Creg-Ny-Baa – turning the world famous landmark on the TT course into the Bikesafe-Ny-Baa.

US Police Vehicle.

During TT 2010 an American Police vehicle will be on the Island. On Friday 4th June the vehicle will be visiting Police Headquarters. The 2006 Dodge Charger (interceptor)5.7 v8 hemi with all the police upgrades will be on show between 6 and 7pm. It is about 425bhp and will do in excess of 150mph. All USA police forces started introducing this vehicle into their fleets in 2006 to replace the crown victoria and eventually most of the forces will have these vehicles.

Media:

The Constabulary’s Roads Policing Unit will have a daily media presence within Radio TT and also will provide a daily media release from Wednesday 2nd to Wednesday 9th June and the message will deliver:

Road traffic Collisions of note.

Statistics – Where Collisions have happened, how many were involved

Other Road Users:

With an increase in motor cycle traffic on our roads we call need to pay closer attention to our driving. Check your mirrors. Be more careful and allow more time for your journey. Think about Bikes and their presence on the road.

Our KEY MESSAGES during TT will be:

Stay Alert – Stay Alive.
Don’t drink and Drive.
Think Bike.
Be alive to the road.
Drive or ride to arrive.
Enjoy TT but think of others.
If you are having a drink – lock it, leave it and think about whether you can use it in the morning.