Road "dangerous" for motorcyclists

The A2032, Littlehampton Road, was voted Britain's third most dangerous road in a survey of 500 riders, between November, 2003, and April, 2004.

There have been 12 accidents on the stretch of road between the roundabouts at Titnore Lane and Durrington Lane in the last three and a half years.

The survey was part of the Stop the Rough Ride campaign, organised by motorcycle insurance firm, Bennetts, to name and shame the worst roads.

Spokesman for the company, Jonathan Neill, said: "Lots of people complained about the number of pot holes along that road. The main complaints we got were that loose gravel has been used to fill in patches, which is very dangerous for riders."

Sussex Police launched its Don't be a Spoil Sport campaign in May, aimed at irresponsible riders to cut the number of motobike fatalities in the region.

Inspector Simon Labbett said that 92 per cent of sports bike accidents were caused by human error.

"Riders blame road conditions or other motorists," he said. "But less than 10 per cent of all accidents are caused by environmental or mechanical factors, the rest, which is the vast majority, is down to human error. Riders are causing their own destruction."

In the past year, two fatal accidents involving sports bike riders, 52 serious and 152 minor accidents have been reported to police in Adur, Arun and Worthing districts.

But Inspector Labbett urged local authorities not to "waste" money on improving road conditions.

"We are trying to compensate for another problem that exists with the riders themselves," he added. "We want them to take responsibility for their own actions. A gun only becomes dangerous if you put a bullet in it. It's the same with a motorbike. If you ride it sensibly, there will not be any accidents."

Motorcyclist Mick Godfrey, 38, of Greenways Crescent, Ferring, has been riding for 20 years.

He said: "I drive up and down that road and it doesn't strike me as being particularly bad.

"The tarmac is broken in places and the material used to seal the cracks can be slippery in wet weather. There is foliage in the central reservation, which can be dangerous if it gets onto the road. But in general, I find it OK."