Police bikers start work on road safety app

Date: 16/5/2011

Lincolnshire police officers are taking to their motorcycles in order to record local country roads that are popular with bikers.

The Lincolnshire Echo reports that once the routes are filmed they will be put together with a commentary that includes information on any hazards like tight bends or obscured dips, along with where refreshment stops can be located.

This can then be used by motorcyclists planning a ride, who can access the information through the iBiker app for smartphones.

Detective Inspector Rob Grace of the force said: "The iBiker app is an innovative, forward-thinking, consumer-friendly app and an excellent way that motorcyclists, from video run-throughs, can preview roads from a biker's perspective and plan journeys on what may be an unfamiliar road."

Meanwhile, TRL is currently involved in Europe's first naturalistic riding study, 2BeSafe.

Funded by the EU and the UK's Department for Transport, this multi-national motorcycle safety study is being conducted using vehicles instrumented with an array of sensors that together record the riders' behaviours and day-to-day experiences in the real world.

As part of the 2BeSafe consortium, TRL aims to use this unique data to identify ways to improve motorbike safety for road users in both the UK and abroad.

Posted by Sarah Bailey