Background and rationale
Tracey Marsh, Maureen Rutherford and Jacqueline Dickson tragically lost their husbands in road traffic collisions on Scotland’s roads. All three men were experienced motorcyclists, but their lives were cut short because a motorist failed to ‘take another look’ at a junction. These were cases of ‘carelessness’ according to the courts which subsequently convicted the drivers. Tracey, Maureen and Jacqueline have now launched this #TakeAnotherLook campaign to urge drivers to look again at every junction.
As motorcyclists, we know that their experience is repeated time and time again. Evidence from both criminal and civil proceedings shows that many motorcyclists have met similar fates or suffered life changing injuries because of motorists’ negligence. Despite this, the Scottish Government continues to put the emphasis on improving rider behaviour at the exclusion of all else.
According to Transport Scotland’s Reported Road Casualties 2022 report, there were 467 motorcycle casualties, including 25 fatalities, that year: an increase of 2% on 2021.
It is evident that more needs to be done if the Scottish Government is to meet its own target of reducing motorcycle casualty numbers by 30% by 2030 and on behalf of the motorcycling community, we want to see a shift towards reminding motorists of their role and responsibility towards vulnerable road users. It’s time the narrative and perception of motorcyclists changed.
We are calling for a new campaign to ‘#TakeAnotherLook’ at junctions, echoing the ‘think bike’ initiative of the 1970s that was aimed at increasing motorists’ awareness of motorcycles and reducing accidents caused by failure to spot them in time.
In developing this new campaign for today’s road conditions, we can ensure that all road users take extra care when approaching junctions and potentially save lives.
The loss of a husband, wife, partner, or friend is devastating, and we do not wish anyone else to suffer as Tracey, Maureen and Jacqueline have.
Please join us in urging the Scottish Government to take immediate action in protecting all our loved ones who ride motorcycles on Scotland’s roads.
This campaign is supported by the following:
Supporters
Widows: Tracey Marsh, Maureen Rutherford, Jacqueline Dickson, Michelle Thorne, Magda Hawkins.
Orphan: Vicky McSkimming
Father: Ian Dominick
Daughter: Katy Thorne
BMF (British Motorcyclists Federation).
MAG (Motorcycle Action Group).
Shiny Side Up Partnership (SSUP)
National Young Rider Forum (NYRF)
National Motorcyclists Council
How you can help
1. Support the Campaign and Sign the Change.org petition.
Show your support and sign the campaign here
2. Pop a Leaflet on every car windscreen in your neighbourhood.
This is where you can really make a difference and get the message across to motor vehicle drivers. Download and print the double-sided leaflet here.
50,000 leaflets have been printed and distributed to motorcycle dealers and biker congregation points across Scotland. You should be able to find some at the following locations:-
Motorcycle Dealerships
Two Wheels Honda
Two Wheels Triumph
Motorrad Central Edinburgh
Cupar Motorcycles
Kirkaldy Kawasaki
Ducati Dundee
Ducati Glasgow
West Coast Harley Davidson
West Coast Triumph
Victor Devine
MCS
North Harbour Motorcycles
Ayr Motorcycle Centre
Drysdales
Jim Allan Motorcycles
Shirlaws
Mitchells of Inverness
Mr Moto
Murray Motorcycles
Holywood Service Station
Harry Fairbairn Inverness
Tom Adamson Motorcycles
Paul Hamilton Motorcycles
Cowshed Motorcycles
BikespeedUK
Dusty’s Customs
Safe Rider AA
Biking Direct
Biker Cafes/Congregation Points
The Bikers Cove
The Glen Cafe
The Green Welly
Hub 71
The Green Frog at Hammerlands Centre – Moffat
Other
Davidson Legacy Preservation Group
Alternatively, you can just download and print the leaflet here double-sided and you should be good to get out there leafleting.
3. Spread the word offline by downloading and printing these posters.
You can pop them up on noticeboards in your office or staff areas.
4. Spread the word online by downloading and using these assets across your social networks.
These assets have been designed for use on Facebook, Instagram, X (formally Twitter) and LinkedIn. View and download here.
5. Write to your MSP
Please find a draft letter which you can download and use to write to your MSP. It’s quick and easy to do at https://www.writetothem.com/
Widows Stories
Tracey’s Story
Tracey rode pillion with her husband Jon for more than 15 years. He was a motorcycling enthusiast and an experienced motorcyclist who took his riding seriously. But all that came to a sudden end in November 2022, because he was tragically killed when the driver of a car failed to look properly at a junction.
Jon was on his way home and on roads he knew well. A car pulled out in front of him, he took evasive action but collided with the rear driver-side door and his clothing was subsequently trapped under the car. He died at the scene. He was just 48 years old. The driver admitted causing death by careless driving.
Tracey has been left heartbroken. To her, Jon was the kindest and most generous man you could meet who loved her and their son unconditionally. When not riding together, Tracey and Jon held hands everywhere they went.
Maureen’s Story
Maureen Rutherford’s life changed forever on 11th August 2018. On that fateful summer’s day, her husband Colin, a well-known and respected figure within the Scottish motorcycling community, was tragically killed when a tractor driver pulled in front of the Harley Davidson he was riding. Colin had more than 45 years’ experience of riding motorcycles, but police reconstructions of the collision showed that he did not stand a chance.
During the subsequent court proceedings, the evidence presented showed that the tractor driver neglected to maintain a proper lookout for oncoming traffic. Turning right into an access road off the A77, he crossed onto the opposite carriageway and directly into Colin’s path. Despite having sufficient time to see Colin approaching, the driver’s lapse in attention resulted in Colin being thrown from his motorcycle. He died instantly. The driver was convicted of causing death by careless driving because he failed to take another look. He carries the consequences of his actions for the rest of his life.
Colin’s death has left an immense void in the lives of Maureen, his family and friends and not a day goes by without his absence being keenly felt by those who knew and loved him.
Jacqueline’s Story
Jackie describes Iain Chisholm, her partner of 34 years, as a gentle, loving man and a quiet, easy-going family guy. Together, they had two beautiful children and were “rich with nothing”. In September 2019, he was on his way home after a day out on the bike. Jackie had his dinner getting ready in the oven but just outside Crianlarich on the A85, a car pulled out from a parking area and did a U turn in front of him. Iain died at the scene.
Despite two eyewitnesses testifying that Iain had done nothing wrong, the Procurator Fiscal decided there was no criminal case for the driver of the car to answer. It took another two years for the civil case to be resolved and for the insurance company to agree that Iain had not been at fault. Jackie calls it a “horrendous, forever journey that you never want to be on. Two years of hell; two years when you can’t grieve; two years of watching your family crumble and then even when you think you can move on, you still never get over it”.
Iain enjoyed his motorcycling. He had been around motorbikes since he was a boy, and Jackie never contemplated that he would be killed in a road traffic collision. In a moment, when the driver of a car failed to look properly, Jackie lost everything.
Vicky’s story
My dad just loved motorbikes. He was happiest in his shed, music on, fiddling with bikes. If he was not fixing someone else’s bike, he was building his own. And my mum, who rode pillion, trusted him implicitly. They had toured Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Lake District on the bike and never once had an issue.
The day it happened, 20 June 2014, was a normal day. They had just popped out for some fish and chips. It was a lovely sunny evening and perfect for a short ride. Then a lorry just pulled out in front of them. My dad wasn’t speeding, and the police said he tried to take evasive action. I don’t know how, on a clear summer night on an open straight road, the lorry driver just didn’t see them. When the police broke the news, I didn’t believe them and kept calling my mum and dad’s phones expecting them to pick up.
It took a year to go to court. The driver was given a 12-month custodial sentence and a 12-month driving ban. It wasn’t enough for two lives.
The fallout has been immense. I lost my whole world that day, but I had to immediately take on everything, from arranging a double funeral and managing their estate to looking after their dogs and watching my elderly grandmother lose all her fight. I’m an only child. No one else knew them as mum and dad. I couldn’t go back to my job as a trauma nurse and when my son was born, not having their support was hard. I moved to the other side of the world to get as far away from the memories as possible. The world felt dark for a very long time, and ten years on, I still have days where it affects me.
I lost my parents, and a whole aspect of my life and identity were wiped out because someone failed to look properly. I’m supporting the #TakeAnotherLook campaign because I do not want this to happen to anyone else. I want to share my story in the hope that it makes people think about the devastation that can be caused by carelessness on the road and reminds them to check at every junction and every turning for a motorbike.
Ian’s story
Drivers need to #TakeAnotherLook
Losing Dave: A Widow’s Fight for Justice After a Fatal Motorcycle Accident on the A96 | #TakeAnotherLook
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