Have you ridden the UK's most dangerous roads?
Posted by Bertie Abarth
The list for the most dangerous roads for motorcyclists in the UK has just been published.
It has been put together by the European Road Assessment Programme (Eurorap), which is a non-profit road safety organisation which was set up to drastically reduce death and serious injury on roads in the UK and the rest of the continent.
Everyone's got their least favourite road, the one they find more dangerous than all the rest and that tends to make your heart beat a little faster, but we count down Eurorap's top-10 roads for motorcyclists to avoid or, at the very least, take extreme caution on...
No.10 - A683 - Lancaster to Kirkby Lonsdale
Part of the problem with this stretch of this road is that reams of motorcyclists hurtle down here throughout the year. A group of them can regularly be spotted gathered together at Devil's Bridge, a well-known spot for bikers just outside Kirkby Lonsdale.
However, unfortunately a few of them have not made it there in one piece in the past along this 26-kilometre, single carriageway stretch of Tarmac.
The good news for you two wheelers out there is that the safety of the road has improved considerably since the last Eurorap survey. In all, there was a 17% drop in the number of collisions involving motorbikes and, should that continue, the A683 will have comfortably out of the top ten by the time Eurorap comes around to compiling its next list.
This A road has had all manner of accidents on it but perhaps the most bizarre happened in May 2008 when a 52-year-old motorcyclist died when a pheasant crashed into his helmet. It caused him to swerve off his bike and into an embankment.
No.9 - A40 - Landovery to A479
This main road used to be one of the most perilous in the entire UK for both motorcyclists and cars but it boasts the accolade of being the most improved route in the whole of the UK in terms of safety.
Despite that, it is still in the top nine for bikers to beware of. In the past, it accounted for more than two deaths or serious injuries on it per month. And from 2002 to 2004, there were as many as 54 fatal or serious collisions.
But that has been slashed in the latest survey - which dates from 2005 to 2007 - and had dropped as low as just ten during that period.
That cut has been made courtesy of a massive effort by the police, who have been raising awareness of the dangers of the road's twist and turns with a charity bike ride, involving 13 police trainees, in the last year.
No.8 - A255 - Margate to Ramsgate
These two Kentish seaside towns could hardly be more sleepy with an array of old people's homes and aging British holiday makers dotted around both.
But the road that connects the two resorts is anything but sleepy, and is a new entry in the top ten for bikers. In the two years from 2005, it accounted for just seven deaths or serious injuries from collisions but, bearing in mind, the road in question is a mere 8km long, that makes for worrying reading.
It's something of a one of a kind on our list, as it's the sole south of England representative, and is biggest problem area is its junctions, which accounted for nearly 50% of the accidents on it.
No.7 - A161 - Goole to A18
The name of the starting point, Goole, gives an indication of the daunting prospect in store for riders.
But once outside of the fairly innocuous place that is Goole, there is little suggestion of the dangers in store. This single carriageway road is hugged by fields of crops, the land is immensely flat and there are only occasionally houses dotted along it.
But the problem is just that - the deceptive nature of the road. There are far too many twists and turns and motorbike riders have been known to misjudge the corners and end up in the paths of oncoming vehicles.
No.6 - A5004 - Whaley Bridge to Buxton
In short, this A road set in the heart of Derbyshire is absolutely stunning as it meanders through the picturesque Peak District although it's not worth spending too much time looking at the views if you want to come away from this one unscathed.
The road is particularly popular with motorcyclists because of the dual combination of frequency and severity of its bends. Mix that with the number of slow tourists travelling along the route and the occasional wandering livestock that makes it onto the road way and it becomes even more of a worry.
Accidents are not however the reserve of the summer when the road is awash with tourists but also in the winter months when harsh weather conditions have made it especially hazardous.
It is renowned for being an area that is not particularly well policed, thus allowing many bikers - who have branded it the Derbyshire TT - to go hell for leather along it.
No.5 - A54 - Buxton to Congleton
Buxton's second entry into the danger list and this one's only marginally worse than the A5004, with which it meets up.
The biggest problem here is that too many people tend to cut out the A54's many corners and nudge into the middle of the road, meaning that 55% of the accidents that happen on this 24km long section are head-on.
But it's not just motorbikes that are affected and need to be on their guard here. Earlier this year, a 42-year-old local woman died when the Peugeot 206 she was a passenger in collided with a Jaguar.
Things have improved here since Eurorap's previous report in which 18 fatal or serious injuries occured on this between 2003 and 2005. That is thanks in part to a 40mph static speed camera in place as traffic enters Congleton.
No.4 - A621 between A619 and Totley
Another Derbyshire road - the county that accounts for more bike deaths and accidents each year - this is not quite as treacherous as it used to be.
Accidents involving bikers have dropped by nearly a third but motorcyclists still account for a staggeringly high 75% of all accidents that take past over these nine undulating kilometres.
Part of the problem is the slow heavy goods vehicles that bikers often try to past on the tight, blind corners.
Moves have been made to cut speeds and improve safety with portable speed cameras regularly in operation by the police and also 200-foot safety messages being shown in a bid to highlight the perils. Those joint efforts appear to have paid off, judging by the latest statistics.
No.3 - A5012 between A515 and A6
It is far from uncommon for police to be called to the area to deal with serious accidents. In fact, in April earlier this year, a Yamaha motorcyclist had to be airlifted from the Tarmac after being involved in a collision with a Ford Ka. the 37-year-old rider later died in hospital because of his injuries.
Unfortunately, according to the Eurorap report, accidents are on the rise on this particular 15km stretch, having flown up by 38% since the last time results were reported.
And a whopping 80% of all collisions that take place on the route involve motorbikes - in short, perhaps one to avoid for those of you in your bike leathers.
No.2 - A686 - Penrith to Haydon Bridge
This road is such a problem that in June of this year British Superbike brothers James and Dean Ellison joined forces with the police to flag down riders, the aim being to hand on safety advice to those on the roads.
Already in 2009 there have been 21 serious collisions involving motorcyclists in the area.
The speed of bikers along this route is particularly problematic. One rider famously was clocked by police travelling at a whopping 116mph, a staggering achievement on this tight and twisty single carriageway.
No.1 - A537 - Cat and Fiddle
Bikes, cars or lorries - quite simply whatever you're travelling in or on just doesn't seem to matter on the world-renowned road, which is best known as the Cat and Fiddle. In short, it seems to top every poll for dangerous roads but 67% of all the accidents that occurred here involved a motorcyle of some sort.
And the worrying thing for the 18 fatal or serious injury crashes that involved motorbikes is that they came in all shapes and sizes, involved head-on collisions, run-offs and junctions.
Moves have been put in place to improve safety, most notably the introduction of crash barriers and increased presence by the police but that has clearly not quite succeeded as people would have hoped.
Things are a lot better, however, than they used to be on the Cat and Fiddle. Back in 1999, as many as 15 people died or were fatally injured in just one 12-month period.
