Winnipeg police, biker groups urging caution following recent motorcycle accidents | 24CA News
The Winnipeg Police Service and a few bike organizations are urging warning to all street customers following current bike collisions inside metropolis limits.
On Tuesday, Winnipeg police responded to a single-vehicle crash involving a bike on Lagimodiere Boulevard that despatched the bike driver to hospital. The driver remained in hospital on Wednesday in secure situation. Police say it seems the bike struck a curb earlier than dropping management.
On Friday, a 28-year-old male driver of a bike died after a two-vehicle collision on McGillivray Boulevard.
Officers imagine the way in which the motorcyclists have been driving, and certain pace, have been elements in each accidents.
Sgt. Stephane Boulet of the Winnipeg Police Service’s site visitors division says all motorists want to make use of excessive warning whereas sharing the roadways.
“As a motorcyclist you have to be aware of your surroundings, be ready to react to anything that may happen in front of you or beside you,” Sgt. Boulet advised Global News. “And same thing for regular motorists — motorcycles are a smaller vehicle on the roadway, they don’t occupy a full laneway, so obviously just be aware of your surroundings.”
Sgt. Boulet provides that applies to all motorcyclists and drivers, regardless of their degree of expertise.
“As a rider, you may feel confident (but) you need to give yourself the room and space to stop and react to anything that may come in front of you,” he added.
“Even though you’re a confident rider, we have to be aware that other people may not have seen you, may not have heard you.”
According to knowledge from the Winnipeg Police Service, to date in 2023, officers have responded to 9 collisions involving a bike, together with one on Talbot Avenue in June that despatched an off-duty officer to hospital. Of these collisions, solely the current crash on McGillivray final Friday was deadly.
Last 12 months, WPS responded to 12 bike collisions, down from 2021 and 2020, when police investigated 23 and 31 bike crashes, respectively.
Outside metropolis limits, Manitoba RCMP have responded to 2 bike fatalities to date this 12 months, together with one on Highway 8 final month the place a bike collided with a tractor pulling farm tools.
Anton Ross De St. Croix, the chief govt officer of the Canadian Motorcycle Association, says it falls each motorcyclists and drivers to gauge pace and pay attention to their environment and blind spots.
“As car drivers, I feel we’re not able to judge the speed that the bike is going because it’s just a tiny dot on the horizon. And if excessive speed is involved, then nobody can sort of judge that at all,” De St. Croix mentioned.
“We still have a long way to go to educate our public and car drivers about noticing motorcycles and vice-versa — educate the bike riders about what you’re seeing on YouTube these days.”
Motorcyclists want to go away extreme pace on the racetrack, he mentioned, including that rushing is one thing he feels is made worse by social media.
“There’s a place for it, a place on the racetrack for that kind of speed,” he mentioned.
“We just have to sort of let people know that it’s not as cool as they see on social media. I think the social media side has sort of created this image that that’s what you do when you go out and buy a bike.”
Peter McDonald, the vice-president of the Coalition of Manitoba Motorcycle Groups, says critical accidents might be averted, if security is stored paramount.
“I think it’s important for everyone to follow the rules of the road,” McDonald mentioned.
“Obviously on a motorcycle you’re less protected than a car. But if you do exercise proper defensive driving, if you are aware of what’s going on, if you are watching your surroundings, I think a motorcycle can be every bit as safe as a car.”
According to knowledge from Statistics Canada and Transport Canada, 242 bike and moped riders died in Canada in 2022, which is the best quantity in 20 years and a 24 per cent enhance from the 12 months prior. The knowledge additionally states that whereas motorcyclists symbolize two per cent of street customers, they account for 10 per cent of all street fatalities.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
