Blood bikers are trained volunteers who transport urgent medical items such as blood, samples, donor breast milk and medical equipment between hospitals and healthcare sites. They operate across the UK, providing a service 24 hours a day, every day of the year, at no cost to the NHS.

Despite carrying time-critical medical supplies, blood bikers currently ride without any form of authorised emergency lighting. Under current regulations, they must comply fully with standard road traffic laws and rely solely on conventional motorcycle lighting and high-visibility clothing to be seen by other road users.

---

The Case for Green Lights

A petition hosted on Change.org is calling for permission for blood bikers to use green lights on their motorcycles. The proposal is specific and limited: green lights would improve visibility only. They would not provide exemptions from speed limits, traffic signals or other road rules.

Improved visibility is a clear road safety benefit and the idea is that green lights would allow other road users to more easily recognise blood bikers as vehicles performing an urgent medical role, particularly during night-time and low-light conditions when many calls take place.

Green lights are already used in some contexts internationally and are visually distinct from blue emergency lights used by statutory services in the UK. This makes them suitable for identification without causing confusion or granting emergency powers.

The focus on the issue comes after the death of volunteer rider Andrew Rogers from Blood Bikes Wales, who died in hospital on 1 January after being involved in a collision near Llanddarog on 29 December 2025.

Sadly, Timothy Minett also died in July 2025 in a crash on the A478, also while volunteering for Blood Bikes Wales.

The petition was launched by Louise Burns-Lunt, a volunteer with Merseyside and Cheshire Blood Bikes, with the aim of drawing attention to the issue and improving safety for riders in the future.

Protecting Volunteers Delivering Essential Services

Blood bikers volunteer their time to support hospitals and patients. Many are advanced riders who undergo additional training and regular assessment. Allowing the use of green lights could be a practical step to support their safety while they carry out this work.

The petition asks the Department for Transport to review the current restrictions and grant permission for the use of green lighting for blood biker charities. This would be a regulatory change, not a request for funding.

How to Support the Petition

Public support is essential for the petition to be considered. Signing demonstrates recognition of the role blood bikers play and the need to support them with appropriate safety measures.

Supporting this petition is a simple way to help bring discussions about improving safety for volunteer medical transport providers across the UK to the table.

• Click the link below to read the petition:
  
  Petition – Grant permission for blood bikers to use green lights

---

Editors comment: After sharing this blog link on LinkedIn, I received several constructive responses that raised concerns about the use of green lights, which I think are worth sharing. Many of these comments came from people with first-hand experience of working in emergency response environments on motorcycles, so it’s important to consider both sides of the argument.

Overall, while there is general agreement that the intention behind green lights is well-meaning, there are valid concerns about their effectiveness and possible unintended consequences. At present, green lights are not widely recognised by the general public, which could lead to confusion rather than improved awareness. Many road users may simply not understand how they are expected to react.

A key concern is that without consistent national education and clear legal status, green lights could introduce uncertainty for both the rider using them and other road users. Improving safety for volunteer riders is essential, but any measures introduced should ideally be universally understood, evidence-based, and supported by clear guidance, training, and enforcement, rather than relying on signals that lack widespread recognition.

As someone without an emergency response background, I can only offer a view from a rider and driver perspective. For me, visibility is a fundamental aspect of safety, and anything that improves how visible a rider is has the potential to be beneficial. That said, the counter-argument – that not all drivers would understand the meaning of a newly introduced green light without significant public education – is a fair and valid point.

Ultimately, regardless of people’s views on green lights themselves, the fact that a petition like this has sparked open discussion and advanced the case for constructive regulatory changes that support volunteer rider safety can only be seen as a positive outcome.