There have been six motorcycle fatalities to date this spring in Ontario and one instructor is hoping that number doesn’t get any higher.
While there have been no fatal collisions in this area, a 36-year-old from Shakespeare suffered life-threatening injuries in a Perth East crash. Police say they remain in hospital in stable condition.
Michael Harrison, who has 50 years experience riding a bike, is the lead instructor at the motorcycle training program at Fanshawe College.
“Many riders are excited to get back on the road after winter, but spring riding conditions can present challenges that people may not anticipate,” said Harrison. “Both riders and drivers need time to readjust to sharing the road again.”
He added roads this time of year are not what drivers expect in the summertime. There is sand and maybe a bit of salt dried up left on the road that people miss. A lack of awareness is also a big factor in many collisions.
“Awareness on both sides of the street. Car drivers and truck drivers, they kind of forget about motorcycles. And then all of a sudden in the spring, we start appearing again. It takes a little bit of time before it comes back. And then on the part of the motorcycle rider, there’s awareness on our end that we need to respect that they may not see us.”
Driving on some county roads comes with a greater risk as many don’t have a centre line or much of a shoulder. Harrison explained drivers should slow down and move to the right side of the road when coming up to a hill.
“A lot of farm equipment also enter the road from fields, so you have to be aware of that all the time. On top of that, they go much slower than you and if you’re going at excessive speeds, you run a risk of not being able to get into a safe position if something like that does arise.”
Harrison added he only drives on county roads until about the middle of July when the corn grows to a point where safety is compromised.
“Once the corn gets above shoulder height and I can’t see down those side roads that I’m coming up to, I stop riding them. If I have to, I slow down until I can see down that road because you can’t see what’s coming up the side road.”
He explained bike owners should thoroughly inspect and tune up their machines in the spring to make sure tires and brakes are in good condition. He also believes 90 per cent of collisions involving motorcycles are preventable.
