Police have a strong message for motorcyclists out for a ride this long weekend: Make safety a priority.
The directive comes as the Ontario Provincial Police’s western region says there has been a “dramatic increase” in deaths this year compared to 2021.
“We have a problem with deadly consequences,” said Insp. OPP Shawn Johnson of the Western Region Traffic and Marine Unit.
“The last thing I want this weekend, being a bank holiday, is for an officer to show up at someone’s door knocking… and telling them they’ve lost a loved one in a preventable tragedy” .
Motorcycle fatalities have nearly doubled compared to last year in southwestern Ontario and account for more than half of all road deaths in the province this year, according to police.
Twelve motorists died in collisions in 2022 in the area, the annual average over the past 10 years, compared to seven in the same period in 2021. In more than 70 percent of collisions this year, the motorists were at fault, police said.
The western region of the province leads the province in motor vehicle and motorcycle accidents, according to OPP. (Michelle Both/CBC)
“These collisions don’t need to happen. They are completely preventable and this has to stop,” Johnson said.
Speeding, loss of control and failure to yield at intersections are major factors in fatal motorcycle collisions. Weather was not a factor – all collisions occurred in clear, sunny and dry conditions.
“It’s people out for a nice walk on a Saturday or Sunday where most of the collisions happen,” he said, most between noon and 4 p.m.
“It’s baffling and heartbreaking”
“Unfortunately, these people are being seriously injured and dying on these roads,” said OPP Const. Melissa Tutin, who has been riding a motorcycle for 22 years.
OPP Const. Melissa Tutin, who has been riding motorcycles for 22 years, says the increase in motorcycle collisions in the western region is concerning. (Michelle Both/CBC)
“It’s baffling and heartbreaking.”
Tutin said motorcyclists should never assume that vehicle drivers can see them. She advises runners to:
- Keep your head turned, look toward the horizon, and be aware of your surroundings. Explore every driveway, intersection, entrance and exit.
- Plan your destination, know where you’re going and take a break.
- Operate according to the rules of the road: speed limits, traffic signs and road lines.
John Patrick, chief motorcycle instructor at Fanshawe College, echoes this advice. He has been teaching motorcycle skills for 30 years.
“You have to remember you’re riding a motorcycle and you don’t have any protection,” Patrick said.
The rise in motorcyclist deaths is a “wake-up call,” says John Patrick, chief motorcycle instructor at Fanshawe College. (Michelle Both/CBC)
He is concerned that too many people are driving beyond their abilities and recommends that drivers practice every spring and take courses to develop skills.
“The more you practice, the more efficient you will be, the better you will be at whatever you do.”
Victims of older drivers
Patrick has seen a demographic shift in his teaching as people want to learn to ride a motorcycle later in life.
He said the statistics are troubling because this year, 28 percent of motorcycle crash deaths were among people between the ages of 56 and 64.
“No one likes to hear that someone has lost their life. But it should be a wake-up call for all of us who ride motorcycles to rethink what we’re doing, reevaluate what we’re doing, so we’re ready. next time when we get on our bike.”
Grey-Bruce and Norfolk counties have recorded three fatalities in the region this year, the highest number in Ontario.
The London and Windsor regions are no exception, facing some of the highest average fatalities over the past decade in Ontario.
Essex County has the highest motorcycle fatality average in the province at 19 deaths per year. Middlesex County is third with an average of 14 deaths, behind the Greater Toronto Area’s 16.
“Any injury or death on our roads is tragic,” Johnson said. “They’re not just tragic for the families and communities, they’re tragic for the emergency services that arrive.
“Do everything you can to protect yourself, make sure you get there alive, drive defensively, drive like your life depends on it.”