THE most dangerous roads for motorcyclists in Scotland have been identified for the first time after the spots where riders perished over the course of a year were mapped.
The map shows the most likely areas for motorcyclists to be killed on their bikes was in the central belt and the east coast.
Our analysis shows a cluster of 10 fatal accidents circling the Glasgow area, with two on the M74/A74 route running south of the city, while another four lives were lost on roads running between Glasgow and Edinburgh – including one on the M8 motorway.
The map is based on figures relating to the death of 32 riders in 2011, and comes after the Scottish Government launched a major campaign to make motorists more aware of riders.
The overall number of motorbike accidents in Scotland fell by more than 20% over two years, from 1037 in 2009 to 827 in 2011, although motoring experts believe this has been partly driven by a decline in leisure motorbiking in the wake of the economic downturn. High-profile publicity campaigns and police crackdowns on speeding are also thought to have contributed.
In 2011, 33 riders and passengers were killed in crashes and collisions involving motorbikes during 2011, with the majority of incidents concentrated in the central belt and the east of coast of Scotland. The oldest victim was a 77-year-old woman who was riding in the sidecar of a motorbike in June 2011 when it struck a Citroen C4 on the A862 Inverness-to-Beauly road.
The figures reveal a detailed breakdown of the location and circumstances surrounding each fatal motorbike crash on Scotland's roads in 2011.
A number of major east-coast routes, including the A93 Perth to Braemar, A94 Perth-Forfar, A90 Edinburgh-Fraserburgh and A94 Dunfermline-Stonehaven roads, were among the locations for nine fatal crashes between Dunfermline and Aberdeen.
All but three of those killed were male, ranging from a 19-year-old biker who died when he collided with a Mercedes 4x4 on the A90 in Aberdeen in July to a 66-year-old businessman who died at a junction on the A94 Forfar-to-Meigle road in Perthshire when a car pulled out in front of him.
One in three of all males killed were young men aged between 26 and 35.
More than two-thirds of motorbike crashes – 23 out of 32 – involved other vehicles.
Almost all fatal motorbike crashes happened during the summer, when bike riding peaks. There were two fatal crashes in April, one in May, seven in June, five in July, three in August and eight in September.
The Think Bike Government-led campaign was launched after figures showed that, while motorcyclists account for just 1% of road traffic, they make up 19% of all road deaths.
Neil Greig, director of policy and research for the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said police were being tougher on motorcyclists.
"Last year the police put a lot of resources into some of the key routes in Argyll and Bute and there was a substantial reduction in crashes," he said.
"I understand that approach is going to be rolled out across the rest of Scotland."
Superintendent Iain Murray, Head of Road Policing, Police Scotland said it is continuing to tackle fatal road accidents by using education and enforcement. He added: "We patrol routes which we know are particularly popular with all UK and international motorcyclists and engage with them to make sure that we keep them safe by highlighting the potential dangers."
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