"none of my skin was grazed or anything"
A Birmingham motorcyclist says wearing protective clothing and a helmet “probably saved his life” after colliding with a van in Staffordshire.
In May 2026, Mo Shaikh was riding his motorcycle when he came around a corner and collided with the vehicle.
Shaikh suffered a broken leg and serious injuries to his arm.
He spent three weeks in hospital and required metal plates to be fitted following the crash.
Recalling the incident, Shaikh said he remembered seeing the van before feeling an impact on his arm.
He then fell from his motorcycle as the bike slipped away from him.
He told BBC: “I remember falling off, the bike slipping away from me and I was just tumbling.”
Shaikh said he was particularly grateful for the protective clothing he had been wearing.
He believes his motorcycle leathers and helmet helped prevent even more serious injuries during the crash, adding:
“You know, sliding along the floor, none of my skin was grazed or anything because I was wearing the proper safety gear.”
Shaikh, who works as a builder, will reportedly be unable to return to work for about a year due to his injuries.
Shaikh’s wife, Annsum, also believes his protective equipment played an important role in his survival.
She said a nurse told her that people involved in motorcycle crashes without protective equipment had suffered much worse injuries.
There is currently no legal requirement for motorcyclists in the UK to wear protective clothing.
However, government guidance recommends appropriate protective equipment, while road safety organisations encourage riders to use motorcycle-specific clothing.
Becky Guy, from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), said riders have options suitable for warmer weather.
She said motorcycle jackets, trousers and gloves can include ventilation panels and lighter materials.
RoSPA recommends choosing motorcycle-specific protective clothing instead of ordinary summer clothing when riding.
Shaikh believes some motorcyclists may avoid protective clothing during hot weather.
However, he said riders should consider the protection available when choosing what to wear on the road.
The crash also affected Shaikh’s friend and fellow biker Kevin Sergeant, known online as “Quick Kevin”.
Shaikh is known as “Slo-Mo”, with the pair becoming known on social media as the “biker twins”.
Sergeant said seeing his friend involved in the crash affected his own confidence in riding.
He said: “It did put me off a little bit from riding my bike.”
Despite the accident, Shaikh has not lost his enthusiasm for motorcycling.
He recently joined a fundraising bike ride as Sergeant’s pillion passenger.
Shaikh now hopes to eventually return to riding independently.
He had hoped to get back on his motorcycle this year but has been told he cannot use his injured arm until at least November.
For now, he says his experience has reinforced the importance of wearing appropriate protective equipment whenever he rides.
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