Essex Hugger

‘Essex Hugger’ is the Safer Essex Road Partnership’s motorcycle safety campaign, designed to promote motorcycle safety across the county and encourage motorcyclists to undertake further/advanced rider training.

The ‘Hugger’ character is the face of the campaign whose name comes from the rear mudguard on a motorcycle. Hugger was launched in the light of the high level of motorcycle-related road traffic collisions experienced in Essex.

The Hugger campaign aims to increase motorcycle safety and, ultimately, reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries among motorcyclists.

Hugger provides specific messages and information for motorcyclists encouraging them to undertake further/advanced training to improve their skills and ultimately, their safety. In addition, Hugger directs important messages to other road users to look out for and be more aware of motorcyclists.

Rider skills downloads

Through Hugger we are pleased to present a series of free rider skills download sheets designed to assist riders by making established information available in an accessible format, complete with graphics.

These skills and techniques were established by generations of police instructors through their training manual, Motorcycle Roadcraft, in its various evolving forms. The principles are used to train police motorcyclists but are also extensively used by ROSPA, the IAM and numerous private training bodies for one very good reason – they work!

This life-saving information is too valuable not to be readily accessible and these downloads distill the material into easily readable topics with accompanying video to illustrate the main points, where applicable.

Essex Hugger downloads:

• Cornering download (PDF)
• Filtering download (PDF)
• System download (PDF)
• Observation and planning download (PDF)
• Junctions download (PDF)
• Young rider download (PDF)
• Overtaking (PDF)
• Wet weather (PDF)

If you have not taken any post-test training, these downloads may make you think about things slightly differently. They will help improve your safety and enjoyment of riding, by being more in control of your environment and smoother and more accurate in how you ride. The downloads are not, however, a substitute for training.

The Essex Hugger Challenge

The ‘Hugger Challenge’ is a skills challenge to prove how good a rider you are….to yourself! By rising to the Hugger Challenge you will undertake invaluable rider skills training that will improve your skills and your safety.

Take the challenge:

1)     Sign up to undertake:

• An Essex FireBike ‘Better Biking’ Course – bookable by email to firebike@essexfire.gov.uk

If you successfully complete this course you will be entitled to undertake (free of charge) either :

2)     An Essex FireBike Advanced Machine Skills Course      

OR

3)     A full days road training with an Advanced Motorcycle Instructor

You will be given details of how to take advantage of the current offer at the conclusion of your FireBike Better Biking Course.