IT was with disappointment the we, the members of the Burnley & District Motorcycle Club, read the letter (LT, June 22) relating to a road safety scheme featuring posters of naked bikers.

Your contributor claims that excessive speed by bike riders is a major factor in their accidents with cars and appears to suggest that because motorists come in all ages and abilities, with varying reaction times, they should not be held responsible.

Unfortunately this attitude is quite common in those who drive exclusively on four wheels and see bikers as alien beings.

It is the same “us and them” syndrome which divides so many aspects of modern life and serves only as an excuse for ignorance. Bikers are as much a cross section of society as any other road user. They too come from differing age groups and backgrounds but in general are gifted with a greater breadth of driving knowledge.

Of course there are always exceptions but to infer that bikers in general ride recklessly in search of an adrenaline rush is absurd. Most bikers hold a car licence while others may also be professional drivers of buses and other heavy vehicles.

Compare their experience with the driver who never progressed beyond driving the family car to and from work or the supermarket with perhaps an occasional jaunt to the seaside.

We accept that for such drivers it is difficult to understand the perspective of bikers and so they can have no concept of the danger or pleasure of travel on two wheels.

What should be noted is that before anyone can take to the road on two wheels, there is a mandatory day long course which includes both the theory and practice of riding a motorcycle.

This is not the motorcycle driving test as that comes later. This is the CBT, Compulsory Basic Training and is instruction by qualified and experienced riders to impart basic safety requirements so as to ensure first-time riders of motorcycles recognise dangers peculiar to motorcycling.

Many bikers believe this course should be compulsory for all drivers but in the meantime and in the interests of road safety, we would recommend a CBT course to anyone genuinely wishing to broaden their driving skills.

They may find it a pleasant and rewarding day out.

Glenn Smith, Burnley & District Motorcycle Club.