Safety camera teams, police vehicles and helicopters all play their part

Operation Octane scores success for biker safety

The operation was launched in a joint push by all of Staffordshire's road safety services to ensure bikers out to enjoy a summer spin were made very aware of the dangers.

Results from the weekend show there were no reported motorcycle fatalities. 

Operation Octane saw marked and unmarked police cars and bikes on patrol, safety camera vehicles out in force, and the police Air Support Unit in action.

Co-ordinated by the Staffordshire Casualty Reduction Partnership, the campaign targeted bad rider behaviour in an effort to nip their foolhardiness in the bud before it cut short their lives.

In all, 188 bikers were pulled over and given road safety advice and information, including an invitation to do advanced rider training to improve their skills.

59 speeding offences were recorded over the weekend and a car was seized for having no insurance.

Other successes of the weekend include the arrest of a man who was a disqualified driver riding an unregistered motorcycle and the Operation Octane team was called into action when they were alerted by a member of the public that a scrap metal theft was in progress on the A53. Their swift action resulted in arrests being made.

Staffordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Road Safety Carol Dean said the biker community really had taken notice.

"It's great that thanks to bikers heeding the message we have made sure there were no tragic biker deaths over the Bank Holiday. That's what it is all about - not catching bikers out.

"Last year 82 bikers were killed or seriously injured. That's over one quarter of all those seriously injured on our roads, despite the fact they represent only 1% of road users.

Our campaign is really yielding results. We are well on target to make 2008 the safest year on record for bikers." she said.

Les Dyble, Traffic Management Officer for Staffordshire Police, said the weekend action had been a great success.

"By working together we have really made an impact. The fact is that Operation Octane is making Staffordshire's roads safer.

"We want everyone to enjoy their leisure time and come home safely. By keeping up the pressure on riders to think of road safety and to ride properly we are protecting more families from the enormous loss of a loved one." he said.