Five hundred riders died last year, a 16% rise, and the government says it is now planning a new safety campaign to combat the problem.

Motorbike sales increased by 36% in 1997, with 95,000 machines sold, and the industry expects to sell more than 100,000 this year.

Bad weather is even more dangerous

Many of those sales have been to former bikers, now in their 40s and 50s, who have been returning to two wheels.

The road safety adviser for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, Dave Rogers, says these are the people most at risk.

"These `born-again' bikers must realise that times have changed and they have to be extremely careful handling big machines.

"We would not want to discourage people from switching to motorcycles, especially as this is something the Government is very keen on. But we need to recognise that extreme caution must be exercised by all riders."

However much care motorbike riders take, they are still at risk from wind and rain, and from motorists who simply don't see them.

The BBC's transport correspondent says in nine cases out of 10, drivers involved in a collision with a motorcyclist say they simply didn't see the bike.

The compulsory basic training programmes has cut deaths among young bikers

The government says it is alarmed by the new statistics and will be launching a new safety campaign.

"Publicity is an important element, not just for the motorcyclist themselves, but for other road users, particularly drivers to help them understand the vulnerability of motorcyclists," said Baroness Hayman, the road safety minister.

One hopeful sign in the new statistics is that a new compulsory basic training programme is said to have cut the number of deaths among young drivers.

The new figures also show that the number of children killed on the roads in 1997 fell 6%, but child pedestrian deaths were up 5%.

There was a 10% fall in the number of cyclists killed, and a 5% drop in the number of serious injuries.

The government is committed to reducing road casualties by a third by the year 2000.