THUNDER IN THE GLENS AIMS TO PUT THE ROAR INTO ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN, #TAKEANOTHERLOOK

Stewart Willox, Director of Dunedin Chapter, hosts of this year’s Thunder in the Glens, is harnessing the power of Europe’s largest celebration of all things Harley Davidson to boost the road safety campaign, #TakeAnotherLook. This is just 12 months after he and his wife Kerry were seriously injured in a road traffic collision.

The #TakeAnotherLook campaign was launched by Tracey Marsh, Maureen Rutherford and Jacqueline Dickson, all of whom tragically lost their partners, all experienced motorcyclists, when a motor vehicle pulled out in front of them. These women have come together to urge motorists to ‘take another look’ at junctions and stop the senseless collisions that killed their loved ones.

After the conclusion of the 2023 Thunder in the Glens whilst riding home on their Harley Davidson motorcycle, Stewart and Kerry experienced a similar tragedy when a car pulled out of a side road, crashed into them and left Kerry with life-changing injuries.

“Experiencing such a life-altering event for myself and my wife has made me acutely aware of the need to reinforce the message that everyone has a responsibility to keep our roads safe,” said Stewart.

“Through #TakeAnotherLook, we want to make sure no one else has to go through what we did, or indeed what Tracey, Maureen and Jackie have suffered. I want to ramp up the volume of the voices of the thousands that attend Thunder in the Glens to call on all motorists to be more vigilant and help save lives.”

#TakeAnotherLook reminds motorists that every time they get behind the wheel of a car, they assume control of a machine capable of causing serious harm or death to others. With the petition fronted by actor Sam Heughan and backed by Honda gathering pace, they now want the government to fund TV commercials that will remind motorists that a lapse of concentration can have devastating consequences.

During this year’s Thunder in the Glens in Aviemore (23-26 August) Stewart and Kerry will join Maureen on the Motorcycle Law Scotland stand. Together, they will encourage others to get involved, sign the petition and apply more pressure on Holyrood to support the campaign.

Speaking for the three founders of the campaign, Thomas Mitchell, partner at Motorcycle Law Scotland said:

“For too long, there has been a narrative that those who choose to ride a motorcycle do so at excessive speed with little thought for their own safety. This narrative could not be further from the truth. It is clear from the number of motorcyclist fatalities this year alone that the current road safety messages are not working, which is why we need to change the narrative and start fostering a culture of mutual respect for all road users. This starts with improving driver behaviour and is why the #takeanotherlook campaign is so important.”

In Scotland, over the five years up to 2022, motorcyclists accounted for 17% of all fatalities but less than 1% of road users. In 2023, according to the latest Scottish Government figures*, motorcycle casualties increased overall from 467 to 473, with 292 serious injuries reported and 26 deaths.

www.TakeAnotherLook.co.uk