PRIME motorcycle safety markings arrive in England as Derbyshire installs new system
Derbyshire has become the first English county to introduce PRIME road markings, following promising results in Scotland and the scheme’s expansion into Wales.
A road marking system designed to help motorcyclists negotiate bends more safely has arrived in England for the first time, with Derbyshire installing PRIME road markings on two popular biking routes.
The markings have appeared on the B6015 Woodhead Road at Devil’s Elbow, near Glossop, and the A6 between Buxton and Bakewell. Further installations are planned across the county, targeting roads identified through motorcycle collision data covering 2015 to 2024.
PRIME stands for Perceptual Rider Information for Maximising Expertise and Enjoyment, so you can understand why they went for an acronym! The system uses painted markings on the road to help motorcyclists judge their position and approach to a bend. The markings form a series of visual gateways that encourage riders to follow a safer line through a corner, helping them make adjustments to their speed and positioning before turning in, rather than braking or changing direction suddenly mid-corner.
The idea is to influence rider behaviour through visual cues rather than relying solely on warning signs or speed limits. By giving riders a clearer reference point as they approach a bend, PRIME aims to reduce the risk of entering too quickly or running wide on the exit.
PRIME markings in England follow promising Scottish trials
The scheme began in Scotland in 2021, initially covering 22 sites across western Scotland before expanding to 35 locations. Research reported a 61 per cent reduction in average annual motorcycle injury collisions across the trial sites, alongside a 46 per cent reduction in collisions involving death or serious injury.
The system has since expanded into Wales, with markings installed on roads including sections of the A5, A487 and A483. Norway has also adopted similar motorcycle safety markings.
Derbyshire’s rollout will include other routes such as the A57 Snake Pass, A54 Macclesfield Main Road, A53 Axe Edge, A623 Peak Forest and B5035 Middleton-by-Wirksworth.
Derbyshire Constabulary will use existing roadside camera equipment to monitor rider behaviour at selected locations before and after installation, looking at factors including speed and road position.
The results should help establish whether the improvements recorded in Scotland can be replicated on English roads. The Scottish figures are encouraging, but they do not guarantee the same reductions will occur at every new site.
PRIME is intended to complement, rather than replace, rider training and sensible speed choices. Its effectiveness in England will depend on whether the markings produce measurable changes in rider behaviour and, ultimately, motorcycle collision figures.
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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!
