A SCOOTER club is backing The Road To Justice campaign in a bid to make the road safer for riders.

The Press is calling on the Government to rewrite sentencing guidelines for dangerous drivers after York families were left stunned at the lenient prison terms handed out by judges.

Moped-rider Linda Atkinson spent three weeks on a life support machine after she was hit by a speeding driver in York last year.

Nick Beilby, a committee member at York Inset Scooter Club, wants more to be done to protect those on two wheels.

He said: “The punishment should fit the crime. As somebody who rides a vintage scooter I feel very vulnerable on two wheels. One of our members in the club was knocked off his bike by a motorist who turned right without looking.

“He was badly shaken up to the point where he stopped riding his scooter.

“He had ridden a vintage Lambretta scooter for 40 years and I think that’s a real shame.”

The Press wants judges to be given the power to hand out tougher sentences to those who kill or seriously injure others on the roads, and call on the Government to make this possible.

Mr Beilby added: “If this improves safety on highways for people on two wheels I would support it.

“The importance of it all is making people aware of their surroundings and making sure they are cautious, because people on scooters can’t always be seen.

“If it’s a real deterrent they are going to think long and hard about what they do.

“The worst thing that worries me are people on mobiles or tired lorry drivers who only have a coffee or sandwich when they drive long distances.

“It’s easier to feel confident if you are cocooned in a car, but if they clip a scooter the rider is in the road and badly hurt.

Linda Atkinson suffered life changing injuries when she was hit by a car in St Maurice’s Road, York, and Mr Beilby was shocked when he first heard about her ordeal.

“Her life has been changed through no fault of her own and it frightened me to think somebody could go into the back of me,” he added.

“It could have been more, a friend of mine or someone in my family.”

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