IT was a knock at the door that ripped her world apart.

Five years ago Karen Holloway found herself face-to-face with a policeman who had called to tell her that her husband had been killed in a motorcycle accident.

She suddenly faced the prospect of bringing up the couple's two children alone while trying to come to terms with husband Peter's death.

Now the 41-year-old has joined forces with Hampshire Police to try and prevent anyone else having to go through the same painful experience.

Last month saw the worst motorcyclist casualty figures the county has ever seen.

Police fear that with summer fast approaching, and with more and more bikers dusting off their leathers to take to the road, the alarming figures are only set to rise.

Hampshire Police figures show that during March four motorcyclists died and another 19 were seriously injured, while already this month a further six have been hurt.

It is a trend that has now forced police to launch the scheme aimed at cutting road deaths.

Last year 14 bikers died and 169 were injured, while in the first three months of this year five have died and there have also been 24 other motorist deaths.

Worryingly, road death investigators also say around 80 per cent of biker deaths involved collisions with other motorists.

It costs an average of £1.4m in public money per road death, made up of everything from emergency service costs, medical costs, legal fees, prison and probation costs and the expenses incurred by other motorists through delays and detours.

See today's Daily Echo for the full story