A deadly year for motorcyclists in Nova Scotia is prompting calls for action from safety advocates.
Sixteen riders have died in crashes in the province this year, the highest number in a decade.
Among the victims was a teenage hockey star, his whole life ahead of him, a recent retiree, soaking up his new-found freedom, and a husband and wife, still in love after 40 years of marriage.
They were fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, neighbours and friends — Nova Scotians you’d run into at church, the local pub or school.
Marlene Roach, the founder of the Bikers Down Society, a group that provides support and financial assistance to Nova Scotians injured on their motorbikes, says enough is enough.
“It’s only getting worse and worse,” she said. “The government’s got to step in. They’ve got to do something.”
Roach wants to see the province make it mandatory for all drivers to complete a training program before getting their motorcycle licence and to have restrictions placed on the types of motorbikes younger riders are allowed to drive.
“If you get in an accident, it’s not the cars … you’re the one that’s going to get injured or killed,” she said. “There’s no second chance most of the time.”
She also wants other drivers to be accountable and watch for motorcyclists, especially when turning left at an intersection.
“Know that we’re there,” said Roach. “Look twice, save a life.”
Corey Ford is a collision reconstructionist with the Nova Scotia RCMP.
When a crash involving a fatal or serious injury occurs, he goes to the scene to investigate, collecting and analyzing evidence to determine the cause.
He says most deaths are caused by distracted driving, aggressive driving, impaired driving, and the failure to use safety devices like seatbelts or helmets.
“There are very few that are not in some way, shape or form preventable,” he said.
In his time investigating crashes, he’s found that many motorcyclists don’t react properly when they find themselves in a dangerous situation.
“We’re not all practising how to crash or how to avoid a crash,” he said. “Unlike in a car, [where] you jam on your brakes and hope for the best, a motorcycle requires some skill and some ability.”
Brushing up on proper braking technique in an emergency is important, Ford said.
A year with no fatalities is always the goal, he said, but it’s not realistic.
At the end of the day, Ford said, it’s up to individual drivers to watch out for themselves.
“I think you need to remember that you’re responsible for your own safety,” he said.
“You don’t know what the other motorists are doing on the road … so if that means making sure you’re not in another motorist’s blind spot, or if that means you’re paying attention and you’re watching for motorcyclists, everybody needs to share the road and everybody needs to be courteous while they’re doing so.”
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