Drivers target motorcyclists with screenwash and litter

Motorcyclists are having to dodge litter and avoid cigarette butts being chucked out of windows by drivers when overtaking their vehicles, according to new research.

Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, which surveyed 600 of its motorcycle members, found that more than one-in-three bikers (37%) had been targeted in this way in the past 12 months.

Motorcyclists also told the charity that 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.

Motorcyclist Chris Palmer, who is a national observer for IAM RoadSmart Devon Advanced Motorcyclists 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. 

“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.”

Four-in-five motorcyclists (80%) also reported seeing drivers being distracted by mobile phones and more than half (54%) said drivers were failing to check mirrors as they overtake.

Other worrying behaviours included people in parked cars opening their doors without checking for bikes (so-called car dooring) and drivers tailgating bikers.

IAM RoadSmart says that 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 reported road casualty data from the Department for Transport (DfT), more than 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.

More than 1,000 drivers were also polled, in turn reporting bad behaviour from bikers.

One-in-three (35%) drivers 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.

Some 35% said they has been tailgated by a motorcyclist, while 36% 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.”

He added: “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.”

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.