Category: Safety & Compensation

1. Don’t risk your life by taking a barbecue into your tent

   Posted on 1:14pm Thursday 25th Jul 2013

   The charity Carbon Monoxide Awareness launched a 'National' campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning from barbecues. The campaign is being launched to help raise awareness about the dangers of carbon monoxide.

   The campaign in memory of 14 year old Wilmslow schoolgirl Hannah Thomas-Jones and others who lost their lives to carbon monoxide from barbecues or camping lamps was launched in the House of Commons on Tuesday 10th July.

   The launch event will be hosted on behalf of the charity by Weaver Vale MP Graham Evans. The campaign is a joint venture between Carbon Monoxide Awareness (charity) and Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service. The campaign has the support of CFOA and a number of major retailers including Asda, Tesco, Morrison’s, Waitrose,  Homebase,  B & Q and Dunelm Mill who have pledged to put up point-of-sale notices in their stores for barbecue equipment.

   Lynn Griffiths, President of Carbon Monoxide Awareness, said: “Already this year there have been a number of camping fatalities and serious injuries resulting from people taking barbecue equipment inside their tents”.  These products are designed solely for outdoor use and should not be used in enclosed spaces such as tents, caravans, campervans or home. Modern tents are designed as an integral structure with built-in groundsheets and carbon monoxide gases can rise to fatal levels in a matter of minutes if portable or disposable barbecues are used inside for heating purposes. 

   Carbon monoxide (CO) is difficult to detect because it is colourless and has no taste or smell. People often don’t realise that they are being overcome by fumes until it is too late. “We shall be working with Fire and Rescue services across the UK to get educational and awareness packs to the UK holiday industry for the benefit of holiday-makers. We shall also be targeting campsite owners and their staff with information on how to recognise the presence of carbon monoxide in enclosed tented areas caravans. We’ve seen too much tragic loss of life and we want to avoid it in future.

   Lynn went on to say “I would like every MP to warn their constituents about the possible dangers of carbon monoxide in the home and when going away on holiday. We don’t want to see another death or injury from a barbecue during a music festival, Olympics or summer holidays. I am also campaigning to have carbon monoxide advice prominently displayed on the packaging of barbecue’s and tents and our politicians can be very influential in making this happen.”

   Exposure to the gas reduces the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen, thereby causing the vital organs to fail. Early symptoms are similar to flu or food poisoning, but these worsen as more of the gas is breathed in and CO concentrations in the blood increase. Anyone who suspects that they may be suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning should turn off all appliances, go outside and seek help from a qualified healthcare professional.

   For more information or to download the charity's carbon monoxide android phone app visit www.covictim.org

   General advice

   A lit or smouldering barbecue should never be taken into a tent, caravan, campervan or home. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) powered appliances should be serviced by a Gas Safe registered engineer who is qualified to work with LPG. Solid fuel appliances should be serviced by a solid fuel HETAS registered engineer. Oil fuelled appliances should be serviced by an OFTEC registered engineer. For their personal safety, holiday-makers should buy an audible carbon monoxide alarm that meets British or European Standards (EN 50291).

   Notes

   Lynn Griffiths, President of Carbon monoxide Awareness was poisoned by Carbon monoxide along with her family for over a decade in their new home. This is why she set up the charity Carbon Monoxide Awareness and founded the National Carbon Monoxide Awareness week.

   “CO’ is the chemical symbol for carbon monoxide

   A recent analysis revealed the hidden toll from this dangerous invisible gas to be 4,000 visits to A&E. 200 people hospitalised and around 50 deaths each year.

   The charity's campaign is being supported by (CFOA) The Chief Fire Officers' Association. 

   www.cfoa.org.uk

2. BBA Launches Extensive Pothole Campaign With 'Report a Pothole' Feature

   Posted on 1:46pm Monday 8th Jul 2013

   The British Bikers Association (BBA) has launched a 'pothole campaign' with a difference. With evidence compiled straight from the smartphones of its members, the UK's newest biking community aims to show local councils that evading their responsibilities is no longer an option.

   Picture the scene. You're riding along enjoying yourself and engaging all your faculties in the safe observance of the laws of the land then - without warning - you hit a pothole. What happens? Well, if you're a motorcyclist you'll know the sickening feeling of losing control as you try and recover your balance and ride on. Frankly, that's the least offensive scenario - for many riders, hitting a yawning chasm in the road can spell serious injury and perhaps even death.

   A casual glance at the statistics bolsters the case: motorcyclists may only account for a mere one percent of road users, but they account for 20 percent of all fatalities - a figure that's 61 times greater than the figure for car drivers. By anyone's measure that is a significant disparity in mortality rate. But, predictably, the very organisations that should be working to protect bikers from these kinds of numbers seem to be content to play the percentages. Take the recent news about the Highways Agency imposing speed limits on roads with surfaces more akin to the surface of the moon than a properly maintained public highway. The move - a result of introducing 'less prescriptive' maintenance contracts has seen vast sections of major routes such as the M11 become subject to speed restrictions - a genuine case of the tax payer stumping up cash to bankroll slower journey times and little in the way of improvements. At local council level the story is equally dispiriting. The coalition government's decision to let councils abandon their road improvement targets has led to miles of poor surfaces and a general trend of neglect. The Department for Transport's own figures tell a potent story: data compiled from polling 89 councils in 2010/11 shows that 38 per cent recorded deterioration in minor roads during this period. Major roads fared little better, with 40 per cent of councils recording a similar decline.

   It would be funny if it wasn't so serious - and the crowning irony is that councils themselves are aware of the urgent need to deal with this in short order. Recent information released by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) revealed that councillors' top priority was dealing with the desperate state of the roads and yet, despite the message filtering to where it should, we still seem to be in a situation where potential death traps lurk round every corner.

   It's not something that can be allowed to continue; but sadly, with 20 years' experience of fighting for the rights of bikers everywhere, the BBA's staff have bitter experience of the biking community's voice getting lost in the static. Yes, recent campaigns such as the BBC's Watchdog expose have made a dent in the public consciousness, but where's the motorcycle angle in all of this? Well, the good news is that it's right here and it's ready to start fighting back.

   The British Bikers Association's Pothole Reporter feature offers everyone in the biking fraternity the chance to get the inside track on the location of potholes. Easily accessed with a couple of swipes of the 'Bikers Voice' app, this information can travel anywhere, allowing bikers on the move to access a complete inventory of all the potholes that have been reported to the site - and all from the convenience of their smartphones. That in itself is an incredibly useful resource, but Bikers Voice does more than that. Registered members get to take the next step in 'naming and shaming' local authorities into taking their duty of care seriously. With the 'Report Pothole' feature, they can take a picture of the offending surface and add a further two for good measure if required. The app will then overlay this on to Google maps for location information and the whole 'package' can be beamed straight to BBA to inform members browsing the 'campaigns/report a pothole' section of the website.

   Whilst this is the type of innovation that's geared to make our councils think twice about lax - or non-existent - maintenance schedules, gathering evidence is only part of the equation. As a committed campaigning organisation, the BBA is using this information to head off the first - and last - resort of the wily council - the Section 58 defence. To offer a brief explanation, Section 58 of the Highways Act is supposed to require a local authority to take reasonable care of the road. However, should a pothole be reported and a biker go down, the council has recourse to all kinds of ways of removing the burden of responsibility from its shoulders. Many bikers will be familiar with the white spray around a hole that the council has hastily decided is 'scheduled for maintenance'; but as motorcyclists everywhere know, Section 58 defence is no moral defence in the wake of serious, preventable injury or a fatality.

   It's a situation that can't be allowed to prevail, so the BBA is tackling this issue head-on by placing councils on 14 days' notice of potholes that have been uploaded to our website. If nothing has been done to deal with the problem after this period has elapsed, then we will contact their insurers with the details. In effect this has two outcomes: firstly if a biker goes down after the pothole has been reported, then the Section 58 defence no longer applies; secondly insurance companies looking after councils' policies will want to advise their clients of potential problems before they hit - and that should provide the extra motivation to get that pothole filled.

   Speaking about the campaign, BBA founder Colin Mahoney was in a defiant mood: "The current situation on our roads is absolutely inexcusable. In effect motorcyclists and other roads users are paying to subsidise a regimen that allows the cracks, gaping holes and uneven surfaces that make riding out a real lottery. It's absolutely amazing what we can find to spend public money on; but when it comes to something that we are forced to use on a daily basis that has the potential to cause serious injury and even death, the cash and the political will to sort it out just doesn't seem to be there. The BBA is putting this issue to the forefront of the campaigning agenda and with our 'report a pothole feature' on the 'Bikers Voice' app (android version with Apple version to follow) and our willingness to get our hands dirty with the people that matter in this, we're not going to stop until it's something that's placed squarely at the top of councils' priority lists."

   The British Bikers Association is the UK's freshest non profit motorcycling organisation. Founded by bikers for bikers, it's the ultimate resource for news, views and comment from in and around the world of motorcycling. For more information, including how to join, the benefits of membership, and further details about the 'Bikers Voice' app, log on and join the debate.

   

3. Motorcycle Rider Skills Workshops

   Posted on 3:34pm Tuesday 2nd Jul 2013

   A two-part course designed for riders who want to enhance their skills and take their riding to the next level, working towards the DSA Enhanced Rider Certificate, a national DSA qualification, which is recognised by most leading Insurance companies and could earn you a discount on your premiums.

   PART ONE: A one day course at the Heritage Motor Centre

   ·         Welcome and safety briefing / Morning Coffee

   ·         Theory including Collision causation factors and the main areas where bikers crash.

   ·         Basic machine checks

   ·         Slow riding and machine handling

   ·         Cornering techniques/principles

   ·         Lunch (one course including Tea or Coffee)

   PART TWO:  Mutually agreed assessment on another day

   ·         Dedicated two hour assessment ride out on a 1;1 basis

   ·         Debrief from assessment

   ·         DSA Enhanced Rider Certificate.

   Price: £105.00 per person

   24 August & 5 October 2013, 9:30am -5pm

   Includes hand outs and guidance to take away, limited to 12 places.

   www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk

4. Motorcycle Contributory Negligence

   Posted on 10:21am Thursday 20th Jun 2013

   This is an important issue that can affect a claim brought by a motorcyclist.

   In laymen’s terms it means that you have gone some way to contribute to your own injuries. For example, motorcycle contributory negligence can arise if you are riding without a helmet and without protective clothing and you are knocked from your motorcycle and injured, you will claim against the offending motorist.  

   You have fractured your skull and fractured your leg. The damages for the skull are say £10,000 and the leg £5,000. But whilst the broken leg is unavoidable in any instance, the judge will find that because of your failure to wear a helmet, that motorcycle contributory negligence was the reason why you broke your skull and it is therefore in the Judges’ eyes that you were responsible for your own demise. In this case he will award you for the broken leg but not the fractured skull.  

   Similarly even if you aren’t at fault when someone pulls out of a side road into your path, if it is proven that you were speeding at the time, the Judge will contribute some motorcycle contributory negligence to you. They usually do this in percentages, and in this instance he may award a reduction in your damages of fifty or more percent. So it is very important that you understand how this system works.

5. Motorcycle Accident Injury Solicitors

   Posted on 1:01pm Wednesday 12th Jun 2013

   Most people in their middle age had started out on motorcycles when British bikers rode British bikes.

   There were more brands of British bikes on the roads than any other in the world. Most bikers these days hardly remember them, and view them as museum pieces that only get polished and rode on a sunny Sunday afternoon. 

   Our Motorcycle Solicitors haven’t just decided that motorcycle accidents are where the market is, it is something that is in their blood. It is something that they are passionate about, and something that they could not imagine their lives without. All our motorbike solicitors have chosen a career to assist fellow bikers get what is rightfully theirs after an accident.  

   The roads out there are a jungle, if not a battlefield between those who think they own the road and those who just want to use the road. On the roads there are aggressors and bikers. It’s no good trying to tell us how you felt threatened by the presence of a motorcyclist.

   We aren’t big enough to be aggressors, and that is why bikers are always on the lookout for cars making life threatening and sometimes silly maneuvers.   Motorcyclists injuries can mean dents in their legs and heads that can take years to repair, not to mention the damage to their motorcycles. This is where our bike riding solicitors understand what you are going through.  

   The car driver and other road users are a threatening menace to us motorcyclists; intentional or not. As you may be able to gather from this web page, there is a different mindset between the driver and us the motorcyclist.  

   Our basic instinct is one of survival. On the roads, the biker is bottom of the food chain, and we know it. People in cars treat juggernaut lorries with respect, because they know that they may come off worse in a collision. Car drivers seem to treat bikers with complete contempt, and that is the difference in understanding between a motoring accident lawyer and a motorcycle solicitor.  

   It is that understanding that allows us to put together a case that reflects the problems that bikers experience on the roads. It also assists our motorcycle solicitors in presenting your case successfully to a judge who may not be a biker himself.  

   Motorbikes and cars are two entirely different modes of transport and to that extent they must be treated differently. So it is essential that when you have a bike accident that you choose a motorbike solicitor.  

   We will say, “We are bikers, we understand, come and talk to us, it costs you nothing”  

   www.thebikerguide.co.uk/motorcycleaccidentsolicitors.html