Police invite bikers for £20 'health-check'

BIKERS IN DEVON and Cornwall have been invited by local Police to invest £20 on a motorbike health-check in a bid to reduce the number of motorcycle accidents on the region's roads.

The initiative has been introduced after recent statistics revealed eleven motorcyclists died in the last year and 85 suffered serious injuries across the two counties.

Riders can take their motorbike to get it checked out by a qualified mechanic for £20 at eight garages across Devon and Cornwall. It's believed the scheme in the first of its kind in the country.

Pc Kevin Druce, a traffic officer based in Exeter, said: "We want bikers to feel safe and enjoy their bikes this summer and this is a great opportunity for them to get a safety check done to give them that peace of mind."

The introduction of the scheme contradicts the belief most motorcycle accidents are primarily caused by rider or third-party driver error, rather than a lack of machine maintenance.

Would you pay £20 for a 'health-check' on your machine?

*Update: Visordown spoke with Devon and Cornwall Police, who said the initiative was a preventative measure, rather than a direct response to the increase in accident rates involving motorcycles.

The force say they offer the same service to caravan owners, whose vehicles may have been laid up over the winter months.