This letter is written as a response to the article “Two motorcycle crashes on Highway 99 within an hour on May 2” [published online May 3].
I was not impressed with the tone of this article and it is not very helpful in highlighting how accidents like this are caused and are prevented.
Yes, it reports the facts, but it is also a perfect opportunity missed to highlight the point of motorcycle awareness month: To prevent injuries, to make all road users more aware of motorcycles and improve safety for all road users.
I can’t believe the focus of the article was on the resources required to respond to accidents involving motorcycles rather than the fact that a number of people were seriously injured.
Too often, motorcyclists are demonized for riding motorcycles just because other road users find them annoying. Yes, there are riders who ride too fast and beyond their riding ability causing accidents. This is a problem that needs to be fixed. But as anyone who has driven the Sea to Sky even once knows, there is a lot of inconsiderate and dangerous driving happening on the highway by all types of vehicle users.
I also could not believe CPL Angela Kermers comment saying it’s “hard to encourage car drivers to respect motorcyclists. Absolutely inappropriate comment coming from someone within the RCMP who actually has power to influence road users. I understand that it must be frustrating and difficult for RCMP to attend repeated serious accidents involving motorcycles, but this type of comment is not helpful.
Instead of implying motorcycle riders are a massive inconvenience and annoyance. How about you highlight the fact that motorcycle riders are extremely vulnerable road users, and there are some simple things every highway user can do to help prevent accidents like this from happening.
• Give motorcycles more space. They accelerate and decelerate much more quickly than larger vehicles. (Something road users often confuse for bad driving).
• Motorcycles can be buffeted by the wind or may have to swerve to avoid debris, which would not be a problem for a vehicle with 4 wheels.
• Check your blind spots frequently. It is really easy to miss a motorcycle when you are changing lanes.
• Watch out more carefully for motorcyclists at dusk and dawn. It is easy to confuse a motorcycle’s headlights with another vehicle or misjudge the distance and speed of a motorcycle.
Please remember a motorcycle on the road is not just a machine there is a person behind that visor. Please take extra care and watch out for motorcycles. We haven’t had to watch for motorcycles all winter, and now we have to build good habits again coming into summer. An extra blind spot check could be the difference between life and death for someone out there.
Stay safe.
Jamie Dineen
Whistler
