IAN HOLME is right to express concern about the driver who complained about a motorcyclist when leaving a junction (HAS, Oct 2).

Readers may like to read a fascinating piece of research undertaken by the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) into SMIDSY (Sorry Mate, I Didn’t See You) accidents.

MAG found that bikers were at fault in less than 20 per cent of the collisions that occurred at junctions. In a staggering 65 per cent of these cases it was found that the car driver had somehow simply failed to see a biker who was clearly visible.

These collisions are three times more likely to occur at junctions than at traffic lights or roundabouts.

The report can be read by clicking on SMIDSY at mag-uk.org/en/campaigns Most importantly, the report gives some advice for riders on how to carry out a manoeuvre that can “reveal” themselves if they think they have not been seen by a driver.

It’s also a great shame you chose to illustrate Ian’s letter about sensible road riding with a photo of a racer doing a highspeed wheelie on a track.

This hardly helps the image of the vast majority of us who enjoy this fabulous form of transport in an informed and intelligent way.

Mark Dunne-Willows, South Shields