The leisure and tourism industry is missing out on the biker pound from European travellers as a new MCI analysis of official statistics shows that almost four times as many British bikers cross the Channel for their holidays as come the other way.

100,000 independent bikers travel abroad by ferry or the channel tunnel for their holidays in Europe, whereas only 23,000 European riders visit the UK.

According to the MCI's analysis, if UK tourist businesses could attract the same number of bikers to the UK as leave the UK for holidays, over £30 million pounds per week could be generated.

There are many British icons that will appeal to European bikers from enjoying the best of British food, local delicacies and the full English breakfast , to the fantastic scenery and the many historical heritage sites including the legendary biker venue the Ace Café.

Research carried out by the Motor Cycle Industry Association reveals that UK bikers are already a lucrative market as they contribute nearly £400 million to UK tourism.

In its survey of more than 2,000 riders and non-riders from across the UK, the MCI found that 84% of the UK's 1.5 million riders prefer to holiday by motorcycle for holidays, short breaks and days out - even though the majority have access to a car.

One-quarter of riders use motorcycles as their preferred mode of transport to enjoy days-out in the UK. One-in-six take weekend short-breaks by bike and one-in-fifteen holiday on two-wheels . The average spend by motorcyclists is £68 per day on accommodation, food and entertainment.

In the current economic climate, where the tourism industry is encouraging British people to enjoy a 'staycation', it would seem wise to capitalise on the potential European bike market too.

MCI Spokesperson, Sheila Rainger said "We are currently attracting a very low percentage of European riders. If we could attract the same number of bikers to the UK as leave the UK for holidays the industry could potentially generate over £30 million in income for every week they spent on holiday in the UK.

"Holidaying by bike is an excellent way of seeing more of the UK's tourist attractions and stunning scenery at your own convenience.  It contributes a significant amount to local and national tourism and now is a good time for the UK to try and open this up to markets further afield."   Mark Wilsmore of Ace Cafe London said "As a destination venue, motorcycle tourism is increasingly important.  At the cafe we ensure that we give riders a reason to get out and enjoy riding their bikes and visit us".

For information about the Get On campaign visit: www.geton.co.uk

Motorcyclists are at a much greater risk of death or serious injury than other road users. 

Despite forming only 1% of road traffic in the UK, motorcyclists account for 18% of road deaths and serious injuries. It is a sad yet true fact that 1 in 4 Motorcyclists will be involved in an accident and of those only 1 in 5 will be at fault.*

It will be of no surprise that the most common reason for a motorcycle accident, is the failure of a motorist to see the motorcyclist, with 66% of all motorcycles involved in accidents being reported as 'at a junction' ** .   When there was no other involvement the rate was at 23%. The main reasons being  f ailing to look properly, loss of control, carelessness or in a hurry and even peer pressure when riding in a group.

Motorcycle riders and passengers have the right to complain for a large amount of these accidents.

Leading and Following Accident Scenarios include:

* Two motorcyclists are travelling one behind the other. The first motorcyclist failed to take a left-hand bend and collided with an oncoming car sustaining fatal injuries.  The first motorcyclist was found to be negligent. 
The second motorcyclist was travelling close behind the first and reacted to the collision in front of him.  As a result, he slid across the road.  It was held that if the second motorcyclist had allowed a few more yards space, he may have had time to react to the emergency situation and avoid the necessity of an instinctive reaction of slamming on his brakes and losing control. 

The first motorcyclist was found at fault for the accident, but the second motorcyclist’s award was reduced by 20% as he was travelling so close as to the first motorcyclist to be found partly to blame.

* Two motorcyclists agreed between them that as one knew the road he would “lead”.  The other followed at a distance of approximately 8 yards.  The lead motorcyclist mistook the road and ended up on waste ground.  The second bike followed colliding with the first. 

 It was held that the first motorcyclist was negligent and there was a duty on him not to mislead the following rider.

Other areas for following up a claim include:

• Spillage of diesel

• Debris and mud

• Missing grid covers

• Potholes

* Taken from the DfT Compendium of Motorcycling Statistics: 2008 Edition