Blood bike

A blood bike is a specialist motorcycle modified for use as a courier vehicle for the prompt transportation of urgent and emergency medical items; primarily including blood, and also including X-rays, tissue samples, surgical tools, human milk, spinal fluids, drugs, and documentation; between hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

[1][2][3] In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a network of largely independent registered charities, whose members are all unpaid volunteers, provide blood bike courier services in collaboration with their local healthcare authorities.

[15] These include: Blood bike charities in England include: Several groups in the United Kingdom have received The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, which is equivalent in status as an MBE:[1] The first Blood Bike Awareness Day took place on Friday 14 August 2015,[38] with initial support provided by O2 and has continued annually since.

Reasons for this include it being the mirror to 14 February and Valentine's Day with its association with the heart and thus blood, being summer the news cycle is often devoid of political stories and there is a greater propensity for journalists to fill airtime with such awareness days also compounded by Fridays being shown even more inclined to cover such local news topics.

[39] Motorcyclists are classified as vulnerable road users, as when the casualty and fatality numbers are adjusted to passenger miles covered, it is the most dangerous form of transport when compared to walking, cycling, and various four wheeled motor vehicles.