Bikers rewarded in police event

Bikers fron the North-east will attend a showing of a critically-acclaimed film about riders in the legendary Isle of Man TT races.

Road Safety Grampian is holding the special screening of ‘Closer to the Edge’ on Tuesday, at Aberdeen's Belmont Picturehouse, as part of its Operation Zenith road safety campaign targeting bikers.

Grampian Police’s head of road policing, Chief Inspector Ian Wallace, said: "The purpose of the free film night is to thank bikers for their continued support with the campaign and for heeding our safe riding messages.

"We’ve seen reduced casualty levels involving motorcycles over the course of the campaign and are keen to see the downward trend continue."

Councillor Peter Argyle, chairman of Aberdeenshire Council’s infrastructure services committee, said: "Last year’s Operation Zenith campaign was a great success with an overall 22% reduction in collision levels involving motorcyclists, and this year’s campaign is on track to reduce this further.

"This has been achieved through a multi-pronged approach based on encouragement, education, enforcement and engineering.

"Operation Zenith has shown that road safety levels can be raised by engaging with bikers and other road users to give advice on how to improve riding standards."

Operation Zenith aims to educate motorcyclists by actively targeting behaviours and related offences which are linked to road traffic casualties, and earlier this year was recognised at the Scottish Transport Awards in the category of Best Transport Team/Partnership of the Year.

Tough-talking radio adverts, targeted enforcement, ‘bikesafe’ training courses and new motorcycle signs are just a few of the measures used to carry the campaign’s safe riding message.

A road safety open day encouraging bikers to have a ‘Safer September’ held at Aberdeenshire Council’s headquarters in August was attended by around 400 bikers.

For more information about Operation Zenith, visit: www.grampian.police.uk/operationzenith

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