Ok so imagine you are riding your bike through a tunnel under the M6

 

The police in Devon and Cornwall are trying to help new motorcyclists by giving them a go in this state of the art addition to their resources, a motorcycle simulator! It's the first to be used in the UK, and uses a Honda CB500X as the model bike.

In the simulator, the rider is offered many different riding scenarios, with a variety of road layouts, and a range of different weather conditions and environments to deal with. The simulator challenges the motorcyclist to learn how to negotiate these various hazards which look pretty realistic, even with riding vibrations added to make it more like the real thing. The idea is that young motorcyclists will get a chance to try various conditions and learn the best ways to handle them in the safety of the simulator, rather than encountering them out there on the road for the first time, before they have gained enough experience to know how to deal with them safely.

Motorcycle Casualty Reduction Officer, Ian Harvey, said:
“We’ll be using the simulator at every available opportunity to engage with riders about how they can hone their skills and help us to reduce the number of deaths or serious injuries on UK roads".

The RCRT (Road Casualty Reduction Team) have been working for a number of years to prevent motorcycle casualties and 2023 saw a 56 per cent reduction in motorcycle road deaths. Devon and Cornwall police police force believes this is directly attributable to RCRT initiatives like observed rides and additional training, so let's hope this simulator will be another weapon in their armoury in the fight against motorcycle accidents involving inexperienced riders. Plus it might be really good fun too, let's get one on the pier!

 

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