Training, key responsibility for motorcycle safety after deadly weekend

Content of the article

A memorial has been erected near where a young woman fatally crashed her motorbike along Roper Road.

Content of the article

The fatal single-vehicle collision was one of two involving motorcyclists in the Edmonton area on Saturday.

The first happened around 2 a.m. Saturday. Officers responded to Roper Road and 42 Street and discovered a 28-year-old motorcyclist with life-threatening injuries after hitting a tree.

EMS treated the woman and transported her to hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Police said they believe speed was a factor in the collision.

A ghost bike, a stripped-down motorcycle painted white, was set up near the crash site.

The second collision occurred near Stony Plain when a 65-year-old Sangudo man riding a motorcycle was traveling west along Highway 43 around 8:30 p.m.

Content of the article

Constables say he was struck and killed when a car traveling southbound entered the intersection.

The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.

Motorcycle safety advocates say that being on the road comes with personal responsibility, regardless of the number of wheels.

“We do our best to prevent them and I don’t know how to reach everyone to be better on our roads,” said Liane Langlois of the Alberta Motorcycle Safety Society (AMSS).

“We are convinced that road safety starts with every road user. We are the only people we can control if you are on two wheels up to 18 years old.

Langlois founded the group after a series of accidents involving motorcyclists around Edmonton in 2015.

“I was sick of seeing all these posts about all these crashes and wondering why there wasn’t awareness like there is for ‘Don’t tear up construction zones’ and ‘Don’t drink and don’t don’t drive” and all these messages. So, I figured if our government isn’t going to do this, then I will.

Content of the article

The rumble of the exhaust pipe offers no protection

She says safe driving starts with proper training, but also involves staying aware of your surroundings, including road conditions, weather changes and other vehicles.

“There are just a lot of safety factors in there where if we are as diligent as we should be, we should be able to get home safely and in one piece to our loved one.”

It also means more than having a noisy exhaust pipe, which AMSS says is not a reliable safety option.

“Can this raise awareness that a motorbike is in the area? Sure. Will it tell you where the motorcyclist is? No, because the sound reverberates off the buildings,” Langlois said.

“We prefer people to hone their skills and be good at driving and be defensive and able to get out of situations without having to depend on a noise.”

— with files from Nicole Bergot and Nathan Martin

[email protected]

Twitter: @ByMatthewBlack