A £3.5M advertising campaign has been launched in an effort to reduce the number of motorbike accidents.

According to Transport for London (TfL), bikers account for 19 per cent of all road deaths despite representing just one per cent of total road users, with 29 motorcyclists in Greenwich and 31 in Lewisham killed or seriously injured in 2009.

Run jointly by the Govenment and TfL, the campaign will target both drivers and bikers using TV, cinema, radio and online adverts.

In an effort to encourage drivers to think of bikers as people rather than vehicles, the Think Bike, Think Bikers adverts will show bikes with neon signs attached, displaying personality traits such as ‘new dad’ or ‘shy retiring type’.

In addition, adverts with the slogan Be Alive to the Road will encourage all bikers to take up further training even if they are experienced riders.