Motorcycle deaths in IH highest in province

More people are dying from motorcycle crashes in the Interior Health region than anywhere else in B.C.

From Jan. 1 to July 30 this year, 12 people died from motorcycle accidents across the Interior Health region, according to a report released Wednesday by the BC Coroners Service.

This accounts for 40 per cent of all motorcycle fatalities in B.C. this year.

By comparison, there were 13 motorcycle fatalities across Interior Health in all of 2017.

Fraser Health had the second-highest number of motorcycle fatalities in the first seven months of 2018, with 10 deaths, followed by Vancouver Island, with six deaths, and Northern Health, with one death.

No motorcycle fatalities were reported in the Vancouver Coastal Health region.

“The Interior frequently features significantly in motorcycle crash statistics, particularly in fatalities,” Mark Milner, road safety program manager with ICBC, said Wednesday.

A lot of it has to do with people riding too fast on Interior highways, he said.

“Most riders are weekend riders. Some of them are going to be coming to the Interior from other parts of the province, like from the Lower Mainland, and they’re not necessarily used to the terrain,” said Milner.

“It might be more curvy than they’re used to. The mountain roads can be very twisty, and people who are not used to riding in those kinds of conditions may overestimate the speed they can go through curves.”

In the Lower Mainland, there tends to be a high number of motorcycle-crash injuries, but not necessarily as many fatalities, said Milner.

“The fatalities in the Lower Mainland tend to happen more at intersections, and the crashes tend to be at lower speeds than those that occur in the Interior,” he said.

“It may also be that motorcyclists in urban areas are more likely to be wearing protective gear, particularly if it’s not as hot as it can sometimes get in the Interior.”

Of all motorcycle fatalities in B.C. this year, 90 per cent were men, and most drivers were between the ages of 19 and 29.

The Labour Day weekend is often the worst weekend of the year for vehicle accidents, said Milner.

“It’s a big weekend of concern for all road users,” he said. “In the Interior, we see over 330 crashes every year on this weekend, with 81 people being injured; provincewide, we see five people dying each year and about 580 people being injured in 2,100 crashes.”

ICBC works with the Ministry of Transportation and local municipalities to improve the safety of B.C. roads, but drivers need to “make sure they’re operating their vehicles as safely as possible at all times,” said Milner.