With June upon us, the Calgary Police Service is reminding motorists to be mindful of motorcycle safety.As the weather warms up, more and more people dust off their motorcycle gear and go for a ride. Unfortunately, this often leads to an increase in serious or fatal collisions involving motorcycle riders.
For the past two years, June has seen the highest number of motorcycle collisions in the year with 54 collisions in 2009 and 63 in 2008.
In total, there were 291 motorcycle collisions in 2009. Of those, 122 involved serious injuries and three of them were fatal. In 2008, there were 411 collisions, 186 of those resulted in serious injuries and three were fatalities.
Riders and drivers all have a responsibility to ensure everyone is safe on our roads.
The Calgary Police Service offers the following advice:
For motorcycle operators:
- Stay out of blind spots. Make sure other drivers see you.
- Be alert at intersections. Make eye contact with other drivers/riders before making your move.
- Protect yourself with the right gear and an approved motorcycle helmet.
- Remember that when it comes to other drivers, your speed can be easily misjudged.
- Ride defensively and make every effort to enhance your visibility.
- Be aware of what is going on behind you.
- Share the road – look twice for motorcyclists at intersections or when changing lanes.
- Never underestimate the speed of a motorcycle. Their size makes their speed deceptive.
- Always check your blind spot before changing lanes.
Posts
Also, there are noise bylaws that cover objectionable noises which include a roaring or explosive noise. I think that motor cyclists should understand that when they are driving through residential communities, that they should limit excessive noise, or else they disturb the residents in the area. I have rarely seen this policed, and there are some problem areas in the city that I think need some better enforcement.
ReplyDeleteGood point. Applies equally to those nasty four-wheeled vehicles with their "sewer pipes".
ReplyDeleteExcessive noise is garbage that the riders or motorists with modified mufflers leave behind in our backyards and bedrooms. The lack of enforcement of that issue destroys the quality of life of many for the "joy" of a few... The police should "urge" a bit more on that too.
ReplyDeleteI just noticed that Edmonton has passed a bylaw regarding loud vehichles:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.calgaryherald.com/technology/Edmonton+poised+nail+noisy+bikers/3107788/story.html
It mentioned that, "police are in the process of buying eight noise-meter kits for $24,000 and plan to start enforcing the bylaw amendments by the end of June, assuming the law is approved by Edmonton city council, Insp. Brian Lobay said."
I think this is a great program.
Does the City of Calgary have noise-meter kits? Is this something that could be installed similar to photo radar, that stunting vehichles in residential areas could be ticketed automatically if they exceed a noise threshhold?
For one reason, the motorbikes do not have to be that loud as there are modern mufflers, so this is an issue that sounds like a loud crack and can wake up and disturb 1000's of residents in a neighbourhood and the volume of the exhaust is very much controllable. People that want to crack open the throttle should choose to do so in an open field, rather than the middle of an inner city neighbourhood.