A man from Redruth paralysed following a motorbike accident has lent his voice to a new safety campaign.

Mr Hughes, who was left wheelchair-dependent at 17 after being hit when another motorist failed to see him, is backing the campaign to remind drivers to stay vigilant of bikers on UK roads despite the lighter nights.

Many will struggle to see the biker in the campaign image despite the presence of his motorcycle at a junction, a stark reminder of what happens regularly on the roads.

Mr Hughes first made the decision to take his motorcycle test in order to have transport to and from his new job. However, another motorist cut a corner at a junction in Redruth, causing a collision that led to him sustaining a spinal cord injury, resulting in complete paraplegia. The accident also caused a traumatic brain injury and multiple fractures.

Now living independently, with support from his brother and commercial care providers, Mr Hughes is wheelchair-dependent for mobility. He is keen to help ensure that motorists are more aware of bikers on UK roads to avoid more accidents like his happening.

Mr Hughes said: “I hope that supporting this campaign ensures that something positive comes out of my accident and the difficult period that followed."

Despite a reduction in two-wheeled accidents and fatalities since the Think! Campaign first launched its biker awareness campaign 15 years ago, visibility is still believed to be one of the leading causes of motorcycle road traffic accidents. According to statistics from the Department for Transport, the most common reason for accidents caused by car drivers is by failing to look properly and 30 motorcyclists are killed or injured every day at junctions.

Michael Warren, managing director at Minster Law, the firm which organised the campaign, said: “As a keen biker myself, I think that this is a really important campaign to highlight the vulnerability of bikers on UK roads. Over the past 10 years, we have supported more than 23,000 bikers who have been injured in road traffic incidents. Many of those cases appear to have taken place at junctions or in another situation where a motorist failed to see the biker. We understand it’s not always because the driver didn’t look; sometimes the narrower profile of the vehicle or one headlight instead of two can unwittingly fool drivers.”