Safety of motorcyclists is everyone’s responsibility

The focus of our select traffic enforcement program for the month of May is motorcycle safety.

When it comes to motorcycle safety, the onus is not solely on the person operating the motorcycle. All motorists have an equally important responsibility. Talk to anyone who rides a motorcycle and you will hear every one of them tell you how a driver has changed lanes almost knocking them down, made turns without signalling, or overtaken them to pass only to merge back in the lane prematurely and almost knock them to the shoulder. The attitude of some seems to be “those with four wheels can ignore those on two.”

The key to ensuring safety for all is attentiveness. When a motorcycle is in your rearview mirror, then disappears and is not in front of you — it is somewhere. The drivers of traditional vehicles need to be attentive and check blind spots to find it before making turns or changing lanes.

One of my favourite movies of all time is Top Gun, so I equate it to one of the scenes of aerial combat when Maverick tells Goose, “find Viper, he’s out there,” after he lost sight of his adversary. To not account for a motorcycle that was once visible can be dangerous and potentially deadly.

Earlier this year when we had one of the false starts to spring, I was travelling on University Drive and there was a motorcyclist two vehicles in front of me. He was obeying all the laws and began a left-hand turn but as he accelerated the wheels slid on the sand and gravel that had accumulated over the winter and had not yet been swept. The motorcycle went down.

The driver in front of me was clearly paying attention. He was able to quickly and safely stop, position his truck so as to protect the downed motorcycle and driver and throw on his four-way lights. I was able to do the same.

The male driving the motorcycle was no worse for wear. He had some scrapes, as did the bike, but no doubt his helmet and proper riding gear absorbed the bulk of the road impact. More importantly, the driver behind him was not texting or distracted — he was attentive and able to react.

The need for motorcyclists to be attentive of events out of the norm is equally important. In particular, the risk of wildlife when riding in the evening and night time. My experience has been motorcyclists are hyper attentive to the normal risks of other traffic and road conditions, but even the most experienced rider can get complacent about the risk of wildlife crossing a highway, so just a reminder to be alert at all times.

In Alberta, helmets for motorcycle drivers and passengers are mandatory. This issue is currently being revisited to authorize an exemption, but that is a decision for lawmakers. The point of this article is to emphasize safety for motorcyclists and the public at large. Helmets are the law today and there is no disputing that they do save lives.

I have spent a lot of time in several of the U.S. states that do not require adults to wear a motorcycle helmet, and I’ll admit I’ve day dreamed about how the wind would feel whipping through my “high and tight” brush cut. But as a police officer I am all too aware that lives have been saved by helmets and no cool factor can override that.

The most common violations that we encounter really amount to a list of about a dozen offences. The fines for the most common violations range from $78 to $310. At the high end of the fines is $310 for operating a motor vehicle of an unauthorized class, or in other words, driving a motorcycle ✦with

a licence that only allows for one to drive a passenger or commercial vehicle but not a motorcycle. At the lower end is the fine of $78 with common offences being when the motorcycle operator rides with one hand, motorcyclists ride side by side and for failing to have at least one brake light attached.

With a beautiful week ahead and the long weekend to come, there will no doubt be more motorcycles on the road. With the co-operation and attentiveness of all, let’s make 2018 a safe season for our motorcyclists and all of those sharing our highways.