Motorcyclists and motorists don't just share the road — they also share the responsibility of watching out for one another.
We're well into summer — in fact the days are already slowly but surely getting shorter. There's a relatively limited time frame in a country like Canada for motorcycle enthusiasts to enjoy the open road, so not surprisingly, plenty of them take every opportunity to ride before the snow starts to fall again.
But every year, all together too many motorcyclists are killed on Alberta's roads and highways. More often than not, such occurrences are the result not of mechanical failure but of human error from either a driver or motorcyclist. In other words, this loss of life is through caution and patience largely preventable.
Between 2010 and 2014, the province reported that a total of 3,323 motorcycles were involved in casualty collisions, resulting in 153 deaths and 3,440 injuries.
“Road users can all play a part in motorcycle safety, by knowing the rules and being aware,” said Brian Mason, minister of transportation.
“Drivers can take care when travelling near them, especially when turning in front of one. At the same time, motorcyclists need to be aware of the road environment too and exercise caution and ride defensively.”
Mark Dobbelsteyn, program director - traffic safety for the Alberta Safety Council, says motorcyclists also have a major role to play in ensuring their own safety.
“Take rider training, always wear the appropriate gear and stay out of vehicles' blind spots.”
To be fair, that is sound advice for motorists as well, some of whom seem oblivious to the potentially fatal decision to hover in a massive rig's blind spot. Of course motorists at least have a seatbelt and protective barrier that absorbs some of the energy in a collision, whereas bikers have no such luxury and bear the brunt of the force in a crash, resulting in the inevitably higher likelihood of being seriously injured or killed.
“More than two-thirds of collisions involving a motorcycle resulted in death or injury. This compares with approximately one in 10 for all collisions,” said a government press release.
Some tips officials offered motorcyclists include making sure to replace a helmet that has been damaged and to avoid buying a used one.
“A used helmet may have been involved in a crash and could be damaged in ways that are not obvious.”
By law, a rider in Alberta must wear a helmet. A biker with protective headgear is 37 per cent less likely to incur a fatal injury in a crash than a rider without a helmet, the government says.
Additionally, riders should wear comfortable and weather-appropriate gear that provides the best comfort and allows riders to remain alert while maintaining their ability to react quickly.
Motorcycles, which can often be high-performance machines, are also much less stable than four-wheeled vehicles. That means they demand a high degree of skill to operate safely, and proper training and preparation are essential to a safe trip.
Of course it should also go without saying that anyone operating either a car or a motorcycle should never do so impaired by the influence of any kind of substance.
There are still several months to go before bikers are faced with putting their rides in the garage for the winter, but until then, we encourage motorists and motorcyclists to safely share the roads and be courteous to each other.
Simon Ducatel is the editor of the Sundre Round Up.
