Oldham motorcyclists no longer the worst

OLDHAM bikers are no longer the most accident-prone in the north, having been knocked from the spot by counterparts in Bury and Bolton,.

Research from the UK’s largest motorcycle insurance specialist, Carole Nash, reveals Bury and Bolton riders had the highest accident rate in the North of England.

The company, which insures around a quarter of all UK bikers, says accident claims from those living in the BL postcode area last year overtook Oldham’s OL code — which includes Ashton and Mossley.

Bikers from the area suffered an accident claims record more than 21/2 times that of England’s lowest risk area, Sunderland.

Along with Oldham and Warrington, Bury and Bolton were the only areas in the North-West with a higher than UK average risk of an accident, and with Sheffield, one of only four in the North.

Carole Nash spokesman Simon Jackson said the majority of motorcycle accidents were caused not by bikers but by other drivers.

The UK’s most accident prone bikers are in Ilford, Essex, who are 61/2 times more likely to be involved in an accident than bikers in Galashiels, in the Borders, the nation’s safest riders.