DRIVERS are being urged to take extra care after it was revealed Northumberland had some of the highest numbers of fatal bike crashes in the North East.

Local authority campaign group Road Safety GB North East (RSGB NE) has been joined by bikers, police and fire services in launching the Life on a Bike campaign to demonstrate the risks and remind road users to slow down and look out for each other.

Northumbria Police figures from 2019 to 2023 show Northumberland had the second-highest number of fatal motorcyclist crashes with 13 incidents, behind County Durham which had 17. 

READ MORE: Northumberland man who died in fatal motorbike crash named

The launch comes several weeks after three people died in a crash involving two bikes in the Scottish Borders.

Jason Gibbon from Northumberland, who was 37, was riding his Suzuki GSXR between Bonchester Bridge and Carter Bar when he was involved in a fatal crash with a Kawasaki ZX1400 motorbike on July 28.

The rider of the Kawasaki bike, Andrew Lartey, 29, and his pillion passenger 23-year-old Georgia Tate, both from Newcastle, also died in the crash.

Meanwhile, another person was airlifted to hospital following a two-vehicle crash involving a motorcycle on August 12 in the Corchester Lane area near Corbridge.

READ MORE: One person airlifted to hospital in two vehicle crash

Several bikers have contributed to the campaign to illustrate the huge impact road crashes have, not only on the people directly involved but also on their wider families, friends and work colleagues. 

Peter Slater, chair of RSGB NE, said during the last five years, there had been 1,501 biker collisions on North East roads, with 57 motorcyclists killed, 755 seriously injured, and 689 slightly injured.

A large percentage were caused by a failure to look, by either the biker or car drivers, or because the motorcyclist lost control of the bike.

“We are appealing to drivers to take a second look for bikes – it could save a life. And we need bikers to slow down, to ride for the conditions and the roads, and to scan the road ahead for hazards. It sounds odd, but they need to prepare for what other road users might do," Mr Slater said.

RSGB NE has produced social media videos to highlight the risks and promote safety advice.

Sergeant Steve Armstrong, of Northumbria Police’s Motorcycle Unit, said: “Everyone has a vital role to play in keeping all road users safe – especially those who may be more at risk of serious injury or harm, such as motorbike riders. Please take extra care and remember to look twice and think bike."