POLICE are to launch a crackdown on speeding motorcyclists following a spate of deaths on Scotland's roads this summer.
An unmarked motorbike will be deployed in the Scottish Borders to target weekend bikers driving dangerously and film them with onboard digital recording facilities.
The move comes amid alarm after nine motorcyclists were killed in separate crashes in the past few months, on mostly rural roads.
The weekend of action is planned to run from Friday 29th to Sunday 31st July on the A68, A702, A7 and the A697.
Inspector Roddy MacMillan, Trunk Roads Inspector for the East of Scotland said: “We have seen nine motorcyclists killed and others seriously injured already this summer.
“The consequences of driving or riding dangerously can be devastating for the families, if someone is killed or seriously injured as a result. It is my officers who knock on the doors of their loved ones to let them know their relative has been killed and it never gets any easier.
“I am an experienced motorcyclist and I understand the thrill and enjoyment of motorcycling, but I am committed to using all means at my disposal, to discourage dangerous and inappropriate driving and riding to keep people safe on Scotland’s roads."
Among those killed have been hobbyist motorcyclists and novice bikers, with the most recent death coming in Fife this month when a 31-year-old's bike collided with a Ford Transit van.
Last month a biker was killed in Argyll and Bute in a collision with a car on the A82 north of Luss, while April saw the deaths of elderly motorcyclist Gordon Blair, 73, from Staffordshire, in a three-vehicle crash near Loch Ness in the Highlands, and Shona Mitchell, 24 from Crieff, who was killed in an accident on the A85 at St Fillans, Perthshire.
Uniformed officers will also be take part in the operation to engage with motorcyclists and other road users and provide safety information on appropriate driving and riding practices.
Road Policing Officers across the country are currently carrying out various enforcement and education activities as part of Operation Zenith, the ongoing safety campaign for motorcyclists and the new resource will be specifically utilised during this activity.
The unmarked motorcycle will join marked police motorcycles and marked and unmarked patrol cars to conduct patrols along the A68, A702, A7 and A697.
Colleagues from the Safety Camera Unit will support these patrols and any offences identified will be appropriately dealt with.
Inspector MacMillan continued: "Motorcyclists are more vulnerable than other road users, especially when overtaking and negotiating left hand bends.
“There is already an increase in the volume of tourist and foreign drivers, who are unfamiliar with the roads, therefore I would encourage motorcyclists to slow down, use their observation skills, comply with the speed limits and take extra care when planning and negotiating overtakes.
“With our unmarked police motorcycle deployed, the chances of being caught should you opt to disregard the speed limit or other road traffic offences have never been higher.
"A number of offenders have already been detected for speeding and driving dangerously or carelessly on previous weekends during this operation and the public should not risk driving or riding in a manner, which will result in police action. Don't risk it.”
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