Dear motorcycle rider on the Sea to Sky Highway,
You scare us. Yes, you.
You who goes well over the speed limit as you head through the 鈥榯wisties鈥� north of Lions Bay.
You wearing a T-shirt and jeans that could be ripped off of you like butter on a knife if you hit the hot pavement.
Following behind you is freaking scary.
We don鈥檛 want you to get hurt, and we sure as heck don鈥檛 want to watch it happen from our vehicle.
You who rides by with the passenger on the back who is not wearing the proper gear, we worry for her too. She is your responsibility.
You who swerves in and out of heavy weekend traffic.
And you who is looking at the scenery and not the road ahead.
You who rides an expensive new bike that you aren鈥檛 experienced enough for.
You who is on our mountainous highway without seeming to know a thing about it.
And especially you, racing your buddy.
We worry for you both.
And we know that drivers of cars are your biggest hazard.
The drivers of cars, going too fast or not paying attention because they are excited on their way to Whistler or going down to Vancouver.
We know that just a second of a driver not paying attention could cost you your life. The other vehicles don鈥檛 even have to hit you directly. A clip of your tire and you are down.
We get this, which is why we want you to take every precaution and ride carefully.
Many of you do.
We know that too.
But the few who don鈥檛 are too many.
We want to see you at the 撸奶社区Station Starbucks, taking off your helmet and chatting with fellow riders.
We want you here visiting family or friends or our local businesses and taking in our events.
We want you to have good stories to share from here when you get home safe.
We don鈥檛 want you to die.
We don鈥檛 want you to be hurt.
We don鈥檛 want you to traumatize your family, friends, or those of us behind or in front of you who will have to live with your mistake, too.
, there are approximately 37 motorcycle rider deaths per year on our highways in B.C.
More than half of these fatal crashes happen in the summer, and most of those are in this month 鈥� August.
The majority of the dead are men.
Those aged 30 to 59 accounted for 58% of the deaths.
According to ICBC, the top factors police say lead to motorcyclists being involved in crashes are distraction, speed, and rider error or confusion.
So please, if you are planning to ride up or down the Sea to Sky Highway, be careful.
We want you to ride, but we don鈥檛 want to have to worry about you.
Best, Squamish.
