Two deadly motorcycle crashes prompt safety reminders from police
Posted August 2, 2018 6:02 am.
Last Updated August 2, 2018 7:18 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
LOWER MAINLAND (NEWS 1130) – Busy summer streets and a pair of deadly motorcycle crashes Wednesday evening have Lower Mainland police reminding drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians alike to stay aware on the road and not get lost in the sea visual distractions.
The first motorcyclist died after colliding with a SUV in Coquitlam around 4:30 p.m. Just two hours later, another died after losing control, driving off the road, and being thrown from the bike in Burnaby.
Both cases are still under investigation.
West Vancouver Police Constable Jeff Palmer said even with helmets and body protection, motorcyclists need to be extra careful.
“You’re very vulnerable to injury. While motorcycles have mobility and agility, the risks to a motorcyclist in a collision are considerably higher for injury and otherwise,” he said.
He reminds motorcyclists they must follow the Motor Vehicle Act like any other vehicle, no matter how fast they want to go.
“As a motorcyclist myself, you have to be conscious at all times that you’re so much less protected, in the event of any collision, than anyone who is in a car, truck, or other motor vehicle,” he said, adding drivers in cars must also be on the lookout. “If they aren’t careful and they aren’t thorough about looking around before they make a maneuver like a turn or a lane change or something like that, they can visually miss a motorcycle.”
Even on a sunny and clear day, it’s easy to miss a bike if you aren’t paying attention.
“Motorcycles are smaller and if people haven’t been accustomed to seeing motorcycles on the road, they need to be extra-attentive to the fact that there could be a motorcycle — or a cyclist or a pedestrian — in a place where they might not have been earlier in the year.”
– With files from Martin MacMahon
