Latest road fatality figures underline urgent need to support the UK’s Air Ambulance services, argues Bankstone’s Dickon Tysoe in the following article which first appeared in a proper insurance publication somewhere.
The Department for Transport’s 2006 RTA fatality figures, just released, underline the need to support life-saving volunteer organisations like the UK’s regional air ambulance service, says Dickon Tysoe, director of outsourced motor claims handling firm Bankstone, which specialises in motorcycle claims.
The statistics show 599 motorcycle user fatalities in 2006, up 5 per cent on 2005, out of a total 3,172 road users killed. At 6,484, the number of bikers killed or seriously injured was down less than 1 per cent from 2005’s figure of 6,508.
Tysoe, whose firm Bankstone embarks this weekend (8 July) on a 420-mile round Yorkshire monkey bike rally to raise money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) ‚ along with brokers MCE, RTA legal firm Fletchers and hire company BLD, claims many more lives would be lost without the involved of the air ambulance service.
“The very severe injuries often suffered by motorcyclists,” he says, “require rapid medical intervention if lives are to be saved. If the air ambulances weren’t there to provide emergency first aid and rush injured bikers to medical centres with the necessary facilities many more would die on our roads each year. Specialising in motorcycle RTAs, as we do, we understand only too well the difference speed of response makes.”
Tysoe is urging everyone involved in the world of road transport or motor insurance ‚ or indeed anyone who uses Britain’s roads ‚ to consider supporting the YAA by donating to Bankstone’s Monkey Monopoly fundraising exercise (for details see www.justgiving.com/monkeymonopoly and the biking news section on Bankstone’s website at www.bankstone.co.uk)
The YAA, based at Leeds Bradford Airport, is particularly deserving of support, Tysoe believes, “Because they are the only UK air ambulance service still flying after 6pm, and with a second helicopter based in Sheffield shortly due to commence operations they will be covering an even larger area in and out of regular flying hours.”
Full details of the DfT’s 2006 road accident statistics click here.
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