Norway adopts PRIME-style biker safety markings following successful scheme in Scotland
From Scotland to Norway: motorcycle-specific road markings are being used to influence rider behaviour and improve safety.
Motorcycle-specific road markings might look like little more than another bit of paint on the road, but growing evidence suggests they can actually change the way riders approach bends.
The Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations (FEMA) is highlighting the potential of road markings designed specifically with motorcycles in mind, pointing to evidence from Austria and the UK showing that they can encourage riders to adopt safer lines through corners.
The basic idea is fairly simple. Rather than relying solely on warning signs telling riders to slow down, markings are positioned on or before a bend to influence where a motorcycle travels through it. The thinking is that riders naturally avoid riding over painted areas, creating a kind of visual funnel which encourages a safer road position.
It is not a completely new idea. As we reported previously in our report on motorcycle road markings, Scotland has already been using its own version of the system. Known as PRIME, the markings are designed to influence rider speed, braking point and road position before bends.
That system has since been extended to Wales, where PRIME markings have been installed at several locations on routes including the A5, A487 and A483. Research into the Scottish scheme found significant improvements in rider behaviour, including reduced speeds and better road positioning.
Austria has taken a slightly different approach, using white elliptical markings on the road itself, sometimes described as a ‘string of pearls’. They are particularly aimed at blind left-hand bends, where a rider running too wide can end up crossing towards the opposing lane.
According to FEMA, Austrian research found that the markings changed riders’ trajectories towards a safer position. On 19 bends in Tyrol, the organisation says there was an 80 per cent reduction in motorcycle injuries after the markings were introduced, once changes in traffic levels were taken into account.
That figure should be treated in the context of a specific trial rather than proof that painting lines on every bend will magically eliminate motorcycle crashes. But there is now more evidence behind the concept than there was when these schemes first appeared.
A 2026 study of the Scottish PRIME system looked at thousands of motorcycle movements across six trial sites and found reductions in speed at five sites, alongside improvements in road position at several points through the bends. The behavioural changes were still evident four weeks after the markings were installed, going some way to proving that the behaviour had been ingrained.
The most interesting part of the whole idea is that the markings aren’t intended to replace rider training, sensible speeds or good judgement. Instead, they are designed to give riders useful information precisely at the point in a corner that they need it.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
