Police vow crackdown on �outlaw� motorbike gangs
Pini Bothoko | Thursday November 30, 2017 18:09
The intervention comes after several high profile accidents involving bikers, as well as data showing that the majority of accidents involved male riders aged between 26 and 30 years.
Registered and unregistered bike groups have become commonplace across the country, with bikers brought together by a love of riding, travel and socialising. However, members of the broader society view the groups as reckless on the road and fuelled by the abuse of illicit drugs and alcohol.
Addressing a rare dialogue between police and motorbike groups yesterday, law enforcement officials said bikers often performed risky stunts on the roads, imperilling other users. Police director of traffic, senior assistant Commissioner, Katlholo Mosimanegape said local bikers had a habit of dangerous behaviour on the roads.
“We have observed that certain groups of young people like to take long drives along the A1 highway, relax on the way having a braai and drink alcohol, which is something that puts their lives at risk when driving back to Gaborone. “Even though some bikers behave well on the road, the few that display bad behaviour on the road always have prominence,” Mosimanegape said. He said police would ensure that they enforce all the relevant laws in order to ensure that the greater community feels safe on the roads at all times.
“Riding a motorcycle on its own is fun. When riding it, you understand the exhilaration of cruising the road ahead of you and the challenge of controlling the machine, but you should keep in mind that motorcycling can also be dangerous,” Mosimanegape said.
The traffic boss warned motorcyclists against pulling stunts on the road, explaining that this carried the possibility of intimidating members of the community and other road users. “Usually on weekends, some crew of motorcyclist gangs like to take drives, pulling stunts such as lane splitting which disrupt other road users,” he said. “We also want riders to understand their heightened vulnerability on the road, to make them realise that their actions and choices can greatly influence their level of risk on the road.”
Mosimanegape urged bikers to understand that the very nature of motorcycle riding requires more focused and complex skills than driving a car.
Benny Peterson, a biker at the dialogue, said the blame for rising road traffic accidents should also be laid on motor vehicle drivers, but conceded that certain types of bikers were at fault as well.
“The majority of us are part of registered clubs. We look after each other’s backs and if one of us disobeys the law, we discipline them accordingly. Those that do not belong to clubs and are inexperienced, are the ones who usually display indiscipline and bad driving skills on the road,” he said.