The reason for the huge surge in claims has been put down to the heatwave experienced across the UK last month. The hot weather led to ideal conditions for inexperienced weekend riders to rush onto the roads, and with the majority of motorists not used to a sudden increase in motorbikes, accidents were almost inevitable.

Motorbike insurance companies are urging motorcyclists to be extra careful when getting back on their motorbikes for the summer months. It’s important to remember the basics, such as being prepared for drivers not looking, and wearing bright protective clothing to make them as visible as possible. It would also not be a bad idea for inexperienced motorcyclists to look into taking advanced riding courses, ensuring as much knowledge being with the rider as possible.

Swinton motorbike insurance have suggested in a press release that improvements such as bend tightening, manholes being moved to better locations and better signage and sightlines at junctions would help greatly reduce the number of accidents involving motorbikes. Governments statistics even show that the majority of crashes are caused by poor road conditions and design, rather than speed as is often believed.

Obviously it would be unfeasible to have a complete overhaul of the UK road system, but slight improvements in key areas might help to achieve drastic reductions in motorbike accidents and motorbike insurance claims.

Traditionally a problem day of the year for insurers, the Spring bank holiday sees a record number of bikers take to the road, often for the first time of the year. This rustiness can cause a large number of bikers to make errors they wouldn’t usually make, and be involved in accidents which would be otherwise avoidable.

The sunny weather we had over the bank holiday weekend was another significant contributing factor in the increased number of incidents, as this enticed even more motorbike enthusiasts onto the roads.

If you take your motorbike onto any public road, you will undoubtedly need at least third party bike insurance. As soon as you are riding your motorbike amongst other road users there is that potential for an accident to happen, and you will need the insurance cover to make sure there are no legal problems if the worst was to happen.

You may own a dirt bike or trail bike which is fine to use on private land without insurance, but the minute you go on public roads you will need to get in touch with a motorbike insurer. Not only that, you will also need a sufficient motorbike licence for the bike you’re riding and you’re bike will need to be taxed and have passed a full MOT.

So in case the message hasn’t got through yet, if you have a motorbike that you plan to ride on the road, you WILL need motorbike insurance!

Shelley Brown and a friend were riding along a single track road when motorcyclist Ian Surry approached them on a 250cc dirt bike. It is alleged that the two horse riders tried to warn Mr Surry to slow down but he continued to approach at speed and turn into a car park just in front of them. It was at this point that Ms Brown’s horse was spooked and became out of control, trying to jump a gate but falling. Ms Brown fell and suffered serious spinal injuries.

Mr Surry had only a provisional licence and did not have motorbike insurance, so now is being sued by Ms Brown for riding negligently, failing to keep a proper lookout for horse riders, riding towards them at speed and failing to respond to their signals to slow down.

Carl Samuel of Dagenham was already disqualified and had never taken a motorbike riding test when he rode down the wrong side of the road, mowing down 56-year old Mohammed Yad Ali at 40mph before speeding off without stopping to see if Ali was okay. The collision happened on Mile End road, Whitechapel on August 31, 2007.

A jury convicted 21-year old Samuel of causing death by dangerous driving, and after the verdict was read out it emerged he already had three other convictions for driving while disqualified. Samuel had admitted to failing to stop, driving without a licence or motorbike insurance, but denied causing death by dangerous driving.

He will be sentenced next month.

21-year old Wayne Miller was riding Peugeot Speedfight 100 motorbike when he pulled out of a side road without looking and crashed straight into the side of a car. The driver of the car asked Mr. Miller to exchange insurance details when he fled the scene of the accident. Police were called and Miller was found and arrested shortly afterwards, his mobile phone being part of the wreckage.

He was breath-tested at the police station where he was found to be more than twice the legal limit. Miller confessed to driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without motorbike insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with his licence. He was given a 12-month supervision order including 60 hours of community work, as well as being banned from driving for 2 years and being ordered to pay £260 in compensation and costs.

More than 500 bikers were given the chance to try out different motorbikes and develop their riding skills. The convoy of riders also enjoyed being able to ride on public roads under a police convoy.

The Bike Safe event is organised annually by Avon and and Somerset police, in partnership with local road safety groups, with the main aim being to improve road safety and awareness in the local bike riding community and encourage further training courses.

Simon Douglas of AA Motorbike Insurance says that they often see an increase of 40% in claims, as many riders tend to be rusty after a long winter without riding. This can even affect the most experienced riders, as many months away from a motorbike tends to require at least one or two rides to get to grips with it again.

“We have all heard of road rage, but at this time of year the big danger to bikers is ‘road rust’ among drivers who have lost the habit of looking out for bikes. The skills of many motorcyclists need polishing too after a long lay-up, so it’s important for both to be aware of the risks as the results can be tragic,” he said.