THE daughters of a Honda worker killed in a motorcycle crash on the A419 urged youngsters to wear crucial safety equipment like gloves and leathers.

Their father, avid motorcyclist and RAF veteran Steve Speakman, died on November 5 last year after crashing his Yamaha bike near the Rat Trap junction on his way home from work.

Yesterday, senior coroner for Swindon and Wiltshire David Ridley concluded the 55-year-old had died as a result of a head injury sustained during the collision.

Steve’s daughter Imogen George, 30, called on youngsters taking to the streets on mopeds and motorcycles for the first time to make sure they wore their safety equipment like leathers and gloves. She said her father’s leathers had left him largely unscathed: “What he was wearing saved him physically.”

The Ferndale mum-of-two said young riders should wear leathers, adding: “There are all these kids who go around in shorts and T-shirts.

"If you come off the bike like that, that’s your skin. You can’t get that back.”

Backing her safety pleas, experienced Swindon motorcycling instructor Rob Fox of biker youth project Wheels Workshop, told the Advertiser: “What I teach young people is you must wear as much protective clothing as you can afford. Some of it’s not cheap but it’s worth every penny.”

Swindon and Wiltshire Coroner’s Court heard Steve had been riding home from a shift as a car production line worker at Honda shortly after 6pm on Bonfire Night last November when he crashed.

The A419 was busy that night, with traffic queueing on the road north of the Rat Trap junction at Stratton.

Steve, an experienced motorcyclist whose love for bike began in childhood, had been riding his prized 1000cc Yamaha R1. As he joined the A-road he moved into the outside lane and, according to a police crash investigation report, did not see that traffic ahead of him was slowing.

Marks left on the road indicated Steve had applied his brakes prior crashing into the back of a the white Kia Sorento SUV. He died after hitting his head on the car as he was thrown from the motorcycle. Another driver attempted to perform CPR.

Senior coroner Mr Ridley described the head injury as unsurvivable.

Speaking after the inquest, Steve’s daughters Imogen and Victoria paid tribute to their “naughty” father.

Victoria Speakman, 34, said her father had “pinched” his mother’s moped when he was a young man: “My gran said he was always naughty his whole life.”

Motorcycles were a particular love for Steve, who had served in the RAF as a senior aircraftsman. “He would constantly change them,” said Victoria.

Younger sister Imogen, 30, added her thanks to the passersby and paramedics who had come to her father’s aid on the night of his death: “We’re grateful to all the people who tried to help out.”

Last year, Imogen took the place of her father in the Highworth Remembrance Day parade. Steve, a member of the town’s Royal British Legion branch, had been due to take part in the event on November 11.

She told the Adver ahead of the march through the town: “It’s going to be hard to take his place, but it’s one of the only things left that I can do for him.”

Born in Edinburgh, Steve joined the RAF and was posted to Germany and Brize Norton before leaving the services shortly after the birth of his eldest daughter, Victoria. He spent stints managing pubs in Highworth, including the King and Queen Inn.

Steve moved to work at Honda over 15 years ago and had recently been promoted to a role in the South Marston factory engine plant.