•    New research by IAM RoadSmart reveals that one third of bikers have experienced the shocking behaviour in the past 12 months, including being doused in windscreen wash
•    Eight in ten report that drivers fail to look out for bikers when pulling out of junctions
•    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

Drivers are chucking litter and cigarette butts out of their windows as motorcyclists overtake their vehicles, according to new research.

One third (37%) of bikers reported the shocking behaviour to road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, which surveyed 600 of its motorcycle members on their experiences over the past 12 months. 

Motorcyclists told the charity some drivers are deliberately spraying windscreen wash when they are behind them, as well as cutting them up and preventing them from filtering through traffic. Filtering through slow moving traffic is legal if it is done safely and with due care and attention.

Eight in ten (80%) motorcyclists also reported seeing drivers being distracted by mobile phones, and 80 percent said drivers failed to look out for bikers when pulling out of junctions.

Other worrying behaviours include more than half of drivers failing to check mirrors as they overtake (54%), a third (28%) of people in parked cars opening their doors without checking for bikes (so-called car dooring), and more than 60 percent of drivers tailgating bikers.

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. 

According to the 2023 Department for Transport’s reported road casualty data, one third (37%) of motorcycle fatalities were in two vehicle collisions between a motorcycle and a car, and the most common contributory factor allocated to motorcyclists involved in a fatal or serious collisions with another vehicle was ‘Driver or rider failed to look properly’ accounting for one third (29%) of those killed or seriously injured.