Celebrity bikers join the Driving Standards Agency to support the enhanced rider scheme at the 2008 NEC motorcycle show

DRIVING STANDARDS AGENCY News Release (DSA 50/08) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 18 November 2008

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has invited popular TV motorsport presenter Louise Brady and former Superbike Champion and now MotoGP commentator Steve Parrish to support an exciting new scheme aimed at significantly improving motorcycle road safety.

The Enhanced Rider Scheme (ERS) will be showcased at the 2008 Motorcycle and Scooter Show, which takes place at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, from November 28-December 7.

The ERS is a new training package that forms part of the Government's Motorcycling Strategy (GMS) to help reduce the number of fatal and serious accidents on our roads each year involving motorcyclists. ERS aims to encourage and help qualified riders become safer on the roads and reduce accidents.

The DSA is encouraging motorcyclists at the show to visit the stand, to discover the benefits of ERS and look at how it can help biking for the future.

Louise Brady said: "The Enhanced Rider Scheme offers an opportunity to iron out bad habits and keep you safer on the roads, as well as helping you get more from your bike. And it can help to gain riders discounts on insurance.

"Accident statistics among motorcyclists are high and they suggest that we should all have our riding ability assessed from time to time."

The show takes place from November 28-December 7 at the NEC, Birmingham, with a media day on November 27. DSA road safety experts will be joined on their stand by Steve Parrish on November 30 and Louise Brady on December 6 and 7. The DSA exhibition stand will be located in Hall 2, stand 2H15.

For more information on which insurance companies offer discounts on ERS visit http://www.direct.gov.uk/ERS and then click on the ERS leaflet link.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is an executive agency of the Department for Transport.

2. The DSA's vision is "Safe Driving for Life" with an overall mission to contribute towards a Government target of achieving a 40% reduction in riders and drivers killed or seriously injured in road accidents, in the age group up to 24 years, by 2010.

3. Current information on road casualties is available from the Department for Transport website: http://www.dft.gov.uk

4. The Agency's aim is to promote road safety through setting standards for drivers, riders and trainers, testing drivers and riders fairly and efficiently, maintaining the registers of Approved Driving Instructors; Large Goods Vehicle Instructors; Fleet Trainers; Driving Instructor Trainers and Post Test Motorcycle Trainers; supervising Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) for learner motorcyclists; and driver education and the provision of learning resources.

5. DSA is a trading fund with an expected turnover of around £199 million for the year 2008/9, fully funded by fee income and revenue from its activities.

6. DSA employs over 2,700 staff, of which some 2,000 are driving examiners based at over 400 test centres across mainland Great Britain. In 2007/2008 the Agency conducted 1.8 million practical tests for car drivers, over 95,000 vocational tests and 94,000 motorcycle rider tests. A total of 1.7 million theory tests were carried out at 158 centres. At the end of the year there were around 43,600 people on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors.

7. DSA was one of the first Government Agencies to introduce an online booking service. Candidates can book and manage their theory and practical test appointments on line at http://www.direct.gov.uk/drivingtest