This letter could save your life. Transport for London (TfL) is urging London's scooter riders to hone their safety skills by signing up for the ScooterSafe initiative.

With the warmer weather and lighter evenings, many of the capital's scooter riders are returning to two wheels for their daily commute.

The ScooterSafe programme provides scooter riders with the opportunity to develop their riding and awareness skills.

This will enable them to be safer on the roads, therefore helping to reduce the number of riders killed or seriously injured.

More than 30,000 leaflets containing details about rider safety and ScooterSafe will be distributed this week.

Credit card-sized information packs will be left on parked scooters throughout several popular scooter locations in the capital, including Liverpool Street, Covent Garden, Pimlico and Camden.

A scooter is a fantastic way to zip around the capital.

But when the scooter has been in the garage for several months, it is only natural for riders' skills to be slightly rusty and that is why signing up for a ScooterSafe day can be so valuable.

The skills they will pick up from the experts could be lifesavers.

The DVLA issues guidance to all new riders and additional advice is given when they buy a vehicle from a dealer.

But many scooter riders rarely seek updated safety information.

This means riders may find themselves in the position of never thinking about the issue after passing their test.

TfL is particularly keen to highlight the need to wear adequate protective clothing. This could make the difference if

things go wrong, and riders are also recommended to check the condition of their clothing and their helmets regularly as how often they are used and how they are stored can have an impact on their effectiveness.

Transport for London is committed to ensuring the safety of all Londoners using the Capital's roads.

The ScooterSafe scheme offers an extremely valuable service.

I urge all the scooter riders in London to go to the ScooterSafe website and book a place on this fantastic course.

This scheme gives riders all the information they need to ensure a safe journey for themselves.

For more information, visit www.scootersafe-london.co.uk.

CHRIS LINES London Road Safety Unit

Transport for London