Widow’s warning over biking perils
7:46am Thursday 9th July 2009 in News
“IF you are a biker I want you to think about your family, and the effect something like this would have on them.”
That was the message from Sarah McCarthy yesterday, as she made a bid to educate people about the potential perils of motorcycles.
The death of her husband in a crash last week, and that of a close family friend in April, has prompted her to speak out.
She is urging other bikers to stop and think about whether the thrill of going out for a ride is worth ruining the lives of their families.
Mrs McCarthy said: “I want to raise awareness. This hobby has broken our family, and I want to urge people to stop and think about if it is worth it.
“Stuart was an experienced rider and he was familiar with the area. He was wearing a helmet and full leathers but that was not enough to save him.
“Bikes are too fast and powerful and there is not enough protection if something goes wrong.
“We had the police turn up at 11pm on the night he died to tell us what had happened. I want to appeal to other bikers to think about what this could do to your family, and if reading this helps to save just one life then something good will have come from it.
“This has had a devastating effect on the family, and we know that this is just the beginning. It hasn’t really sunk in for anyone yet.”
Mr McCarthy’s friends have pledged to get rid of their bikes after his funeral.
Steve Lawson, technical director of UK charity, the Road Safety Foundation, said: “We find that quiet single late country routes with a relatively low traffic flow are likely to be the ones which have high accident rates.
“The advice we would give is similar to that one might expect, for example keeping to speed limits, driving according to road conditions and wearing the correct protective equipment and clothes.
“We do make recommendations on roads which we find to be particularly dangerous and these are acted upon, very often leading to a reduction in accident rates.”
amanda.smith@theboltonnews.co.uk
