Surrey road safety campaign targets young bikers
A road safety campaign aiming to protect young moped riders and motorcyclists will get under way in Surrey on Monday.
Surrey Police and the county council said latest crash statistics showed 23% of all motorbike casualties in the county were in the 16 to 20 age group.
The message "Don't let your first bike be your last" is being promoted to young riders through Facebook.
Figures for 2010 showed there were 432 motorbike casualties in Surrey.
'Over exuberance' danger
Riders aged between 16 and 20 accounted for 101 of the casualties.
Surrey Police said national figures showed about 75% of serious motorbike crashes involved at least one other vehicle and drivers were also being reminded to look carefully for motorbikes and mopeds.
Collision rates were also highest during commuting hours, indicating young riders were particularly vulnerable when commuting to college or work, officers said.
Surrey County Council leader Dr Andrew Povey said: "The freedom that comes with getting your first vehicle is incredibly exciting but over exuberance can have devastating consequences."