Member Article

Car dealership joins forces with Cleveland Police

Teesside’s leading Peugeot dealership is again joining forces with Cleveland Police to raise awareness and educate both riders and drivers about less familiar hazards that can lead to serious road traffic accidents.

Ridewell gives drivers and motorcyclists the chance to get unique insights from top police drivers as part of the biggest annual biking and road safety event in the region and Simon Bailes Peugeot is again one of the main sponsors of the event, which takes place on Sunday August 11th at Preston Hall in Eaglescliffe.

As part of its commitment to Ridewell, Simon Bailes Peugeot is providing two top of the range Peugeot cars – the Peugeot 508RXH and the 3008 - for Cleveland Police to use in the run up to the event to increase publicity.

On the day itself, the company will be on hand to showcase a range of its new vehicles including the new 208, the new 2008 Crossover and the Peugeot iOn electric car.

Simon Bailes, managing director of Simon Bailes Peugeot, said: “We’re really pleased to be working with the Ridewell team again raising awareness of road safety. Commitment to our local community is a vital part of living our values of Customers, People, Honesty, Standards and Profit.

“To work with community partners who reflect and support our values is very important to us. Ridewell has become tremendously successful increasing visitor numbers every year attracting over 15,000 people to the event and, most importantly, helping to save lives.”

Event organiser Sergeant Paul Dee, of the Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit, said: “We are delighted to have support from Simon Bailes Peugeot again this year, who are kindly supplying us with two liveried cars which will promote the event in the run up to it. The cars will help us to raise awareness of the day and therefore we are hoping to attract as many visitors as possible. Our main intention is to promote road safety and keep people safe on our roads. We need as many visitors as possible to attend on the day for the event to be effective.”

Sergeant Paul Dee has these five tips for avoiding hazards: -

1. Always maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you. This increases the amount of reaction time you will have should something unexpected happen.
2. You should always be able to stop in the distance and time that you can see to be clear ahead of you.
3. In adverse weather conditions- such as heavy rain or snow- you must double the distance you would normally allow between yourself and the preceding vehicle.
4. Make good use of your mirrors and ensure that your view behind is not obstructed by objects in your vehicle.
5. Concentrate on your driving at all times and look as far down the road ahead of you as you can, that way you will be able to anticipate what is happening ahead and be in a position to react as circumstances change.

Ridewell has grown to be one of the North East’s largest bike and road safety shows and is aimed at reducing road casualties. In 1999 when the event was first launched, there were eight motorcyclist fatalities. In 2010 that number had been reduced to just one. Now in its 13th year, Ridewell is expected to attract crowds of over 15,000.

Exhibitors from motorcycle and pedal cycle companies from all over the UK are taking part in the event.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anna Addison Associates .