100 fatal and serious motorbike crashes in South Yorkshire prompt free safety course

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (SYFR) has relaunched its BikerDown! safety training course in an urgent bid to reduce the number of serious and fatal motorcycle incidents on the county’s roads.

The free course aims to give riders the knowledge and first-aid skills needed to avoid accidents and assist in emergencies.

Almost 200 ‘powered-two-wheeler riders’ were injured in a collision on South Yorkshire roads in 2023, according to the latest figures. 100 of those crashes proved fatal or left riders seriously injured.

From teenage riders just starting out, to experienced bikers with decades on the road, the region has been shaken by a series of tragic motorbike crashes over the years.

Behind each statistic is a grieving family, a community in shock, and lives changed forever.

On Thursday, March, 28, emergency services were called to Morthen Road in Thurcroft, Rotherham, following reports of a serious crash involving a Yamaha motorbike, a silver Peugeot and a grey Land Rover.

A 20-year-old man riding the motorbike and his 17-year-old passenger were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. The passenger, named locally as Bailey, later died in hospital.

Tributes have since been posted online, with one friend writing: “Forever 17. He was a lovely lad and a hard worker.”

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Just a few months earlier, a 21-year-old man named Blake died after a crash in Sheffield.

Sharrow Lane, off Washington Road, was shut by police in the early hours of August 12 after Blake’s black Piaggio Fly motorbike collided with a parked blue Toyota Yaris at around 12.30am. He was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries but later died.

A vigil was held at the site of the crash, where candles spelling out ‘Blake’ were arranged alongside flower tributes and a framed photo.

A card on one bouquet read: “My green eye beautiful boy. We love you dearly, you’ll be missed forever.”

Earlier this year, 73-year-old William Jackson died after a bird struck his helmet while riding along Mortimer Road in Bradfield, causing him to crash. The retired manager from Huddersfield had recently run a marathon.

He was described by his family: “He was amazing, generous and full of life.”

An inquest heard he was riding appropriately and within the speed limit when the bird hit him, leading to what the coroner described as a ‘freak accident.’

In response to the rise in fatalities, the BikerDown! course is being offered free of charge to motorcyclists across South Yorkshire. It includes both classroom and practical sessions, covering scene management, collision avoidance and basic first aid.

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Chris Tyler, Group Manager at SYFR, said: “If you were the first on the scene of a collision involving a biker, would you know what to do?

“By equipping motorcyclists with the skills and knowledge they need to ride safely, we hope it will help us to reach our shared long-term ambition of ending all death and serious injury on South Yorkshire’s roads.”

Sessions will be held from 6.30pm to 9.30pm at Dearne Fire Station, one Thursday evening a month.

The dates are:

• 24 April
• 22 May
• 26 June
• 24 July
• 21 August
• 25 September

Places are limited and can be booked by emailing [email protected]

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