By ROB HULL
Motorcyclists are among some of the most vulnerable road users.
With little in terms of protection, a higher exposure to different collision scenarios and their two wheels more susceptible to crashes triggered by our potholed roads, the last thing riders need is to be hit with empty soft drink cans and cigarette butts as they overtake other vehicles.
But a third of bikers have experienced this in the last 12 months, according to a road safety poll.
Some 37 per cent of riders reported the shocking behaviour to IAM RoadSmart, which surveyed 600 of its motorcycle members on their experiences over the past 12 months.
Riders told the charity that some drivers are deliberately spraying windscreen washer fluid when they are behind them, as well as cutting them up and preventing them from filtering through traffic. That's despite filtering through slow moving traffic being legal if it is done safely and with due care and attention.
Two motorcyclists have given their first-hand accounts of being pelted with rubbish while passing cars on the road as they reveal hostile action directed at them by other road users.
More than a third of bikers have said they've been pelted with rubbish when passing other vehicles on the road
Four in five motorcyclists also reported seeing drivers being distracted by mobile phones, while the same proportion of riders believe drivers fail to look out for bikers when pulling out of junctions.
Other worrying actions include more than half observing drivers failing to check mirrors as they overtake (54 per cent), three in ten witnessing passengers in parked cars opening doors without checking for bikes, and more than three in five being tailgated by vehicles.
'The extent to which riders are having to cope with poor driver behaviour is deeply concerning given that motorcyclists are one of the most vulnerable of all road users and are 52 times more likely to be killed in a road traffic accident than car occupants,' the road safety charity said.
As well as being dangerous, littering is a criminal offence that can result in a fine. A motorist in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire is believed to be one of the first to be issued with a fixed penalty notice at the new, higher rate of £500, after being caught on another driver's dashcam
One motorcyclist tells us below how he has had cigarette butts tossed in his direction as he's ridden past cars on the road
'The extent to which riders are having to cope with poor driver behaviour is deeply concerning,' a road safety charity said
According to the 2023 Department for Transport's reported road casualty data, a third (37 per cent) of biker fatalities were two vehicle collisions between a motorcycle and a car.
DfT records also reveal that the most common contributory factor attributed to motorcyclists involved in a fatal or serious collisions with another vehicle was 'Driver or rider failed to look properly' accounting for almost a third (29 per cent) of those killed or seriously injured.
As well as being dangerous, littering is a criminal offence that can result in a fine.
A motorist in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire is believed to be one of the first to be issued with a fixed penalty notice at the new, higher rate of £500, after being caught on another driver's dashcam.
According to separate research from IAM RoadSmart, nearly half (45 per cent) of 2,000 adults polled said they were more concerned about litter on roadside verges than they were 12 months ago.
Motorcyclists have complained that drivers have purposefully sprayed them with window washer fluid knowing they are sitting behind them on the road
But while the poll and crash data suggests drivers could do more to protect bikers, car owners have also criticised poor riding behaviour witnessed on the roads.
In a poll of more than 1,000 motorists, one in three said they had encountered a biker approaching in their lane while overtaking a vehicle on the other side of the road, risking an oncoming collision.
Another 35 per cent said they has been tailgated by a motorcyclist, and 36 per cent reported a close pass when being overtaken by a biker.
IAM RoadSmart Policy and Standards Director Nicholas Lyes said: 'Hurling litter and cigarette butts at motorcyclists is shocking and completely reckless. Taking umbrage just because bikers able to get ahead is at best petty, and at worst downright dangerous.
'Equally motorcyclists should ride responsibly, but it's important to keep in mind that bikers are some of the most vulnerable on the road and will almost always come off worse in the event of a collision.
'Deaths and serious injuries remain a real concern for motorcyclists, but a little courtesy and additional checks go a long way to improving the safety of some of the most vulnerable on the road.'
Chris Palmer, Exeter
Chris Palmer coaches motorcyclists to become an Advanced Rider with IAM RoadSmart.
Chris, who is a National Observer for the Devon Advanced Motorcyclists branch and rides a BMW R1250GS, said: 'I've had litter thrown at me as well as cigarette butts, and I've been squirted with windscreen wash.
Chris Palmer, an IAM RoadSmart Advanced Rider - pictured with his BMW R1250GS adventure bike, says he's been hit with cigarette butts thrown out of car windows
'Some drivers will do it without thinking and without realising that there's a bike behind, but in other cases it's pretty obvious that it's intentional.
'Once, I was behind a group of four lads, keeping a safe distance. Then I noticed I was being squirted with windscreen wash, with the lads in the back looking back and laughing.
'They then decided to ramp it up a level and hurled a takeaway container out of the sunroof. Fortunately, it was empty so it just bounced off me. But if that was a heavy item, or if it happened to an inexperienced rider, it might have caused them to swerve and destabilise the bike, resulting in an accident.
'As well as being reckless, these incidents fuel road rage, which doesn't help anyone. If this happens, my advice to bikers is to stay calm, don't engage, keep a distance and overtake when it is safe to do so.'
Graham Marsden, Portsmouth
Graham Marsden, who has been riding motorbikes for almost 20 years and owns a Yamaha FZ6 Fazer, said: 'I've been filtering through traffic and, on more than one occasion, a driver has flicked a cigarette at me.
'Also, once, a driver even tossed a cola can out of their window as I was passing, fortunately it missed!
'Thankfully these aren't frequent occurrences, but I've had other similar experiences and while some might simply be someone being a litterbug, there have been too many for that to always be the case.
'There was also a time I went to overtake a car, and the driver deliberately accelerated to prevent me from passing, putting me in a dangerous position.'
The IAM RoadSmart Solent member added: 'Incidents like this create a hostile environment on the road and mean that you always have to consider situations like this in your riding plan in order to remain safe.'