National Young Rider Day celebrates young riders in style
The National Young Rider Forum (NYRF) is reflecting on the success of the second National Young Rider Day, which took place on 1 October.
Founded by the NYRF in 2023, the purpose of Young Rider Day is to focus exclusively on riders aged 16-24 years, who typically ride bikes of 125cc or less.
Young motorcyclists feature in more road crashes than young drivers, despite accounting for less than 1% of all traffic using the road network.
In support of the day, events (both online and in person) were hosted across the country.
Essex Police and the Safer Essex Roads Partnership delivered a P2W Roadshow at the Colchester Institute and Writtle College, Chelmsford.
Attendees got the chance to use a P2W Simulator - used originally for police rider training purposes - to test their muscle memory, reflexes, skill sets.
Ellie Henderson, education and engagement manager for SERP, said: We know that young riders are a particularly vulnerable road-user group, so we were grateful to both colleges to allow us to talk to their students about road safety.
“The team had the opportunity to meet with hundreds of students to talk about how to stay safe on two wheels.
“The students enjoyed using the simulator, kindly brought by Devon and Cornwall Police, to experience some of the aspects of riding a motorbike, including hazards and appropriate filtering.”
Leanne Smith, personal development coordinator at Colchester Institute, said: “It was a pleasure to have the Safer Essex Roads at Colchester Institute today for National Young Rider Day. Despite the weather, the level of engagement from both our learners and the team was outstanding.
“The brilliant and clear information the partnership provided has helped our learners to feel more confident about staying safe while riding their bikes, or being on the road.”
Meanwhile, the variety of events culminated in a specially designed online event, organised with the Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership, for young people who could already be motorcyclists or are thinking of becoming one.
Dozens attended the lively session, hearing from experts on a range of important topics, including: how to obtain a motorcycle licence, an explanation of Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) and the dangers faced by young riders on the road. Bike maintenance was also covered.
Heidi Duffy MBE, facilitator of the NYRF, said: “The second National Young Rider Day was a resounding success - with some amazing events taking place across the country.
“We look forward to returning - bigger and better - next year.”