Motorcycle safety advocate shares tips for riders

Jun 15, 2018 | 3:43 PM

KAMLOOPS — When the sun comes out, so do the motorbikes. 

While the spring and summer months are some of the most enjoyable seasons for riders in B.C., they’re also the most dangerous. 

“We’re just getting into spring and the early riding season, people aren’t yet accustomed to seeing motorbikes out on the road because all winter there hasn’t been,” said Mervin Sadden. 

Sadden is a personal injury lawyer at Zak &Decker Law. He’s also an avid rider and advocate for motorcycle safety. 

“Cars have the airbags and the seatbelts and all of those. On a motorcycle you don’t,” Sadden said. “So, your safety is really built into time and space. Always drive defensively to give yourself lots of time to be able to react to what you perceive as a risk in case it materializes.” 

Sadden encourages all riders to get the proper training. 

Patrick Snell is the owner/operator of Two Rivers Motorcycle Training. He says improperly trained riders are a danger not only to themselves, but also other riders. 

“I’ve had people ride past me on my right side in my lane and that’s a big no-no,” Snell said. “You could cause a collision. If it’s a new rider that they’re passing, then you could startle them and then they could get into an accident. There’s people out there that absolutely do not know what they’re doing on the road on a motorbike.”

Other motorists also have a responsibility to keep an eye out for motorcycles. 

“I get involved representing individuals who have been injured in motorcycle accidents,” Sadden said. “When you do ask the other driver of the car or the truck that caused the accident what had happened, invariably you hear that, ‘I didn’t see them.’”

There is an average of 370 motorcycle crashes every year in the Southern Interior, and 11 fatalities. 

Last Saturday a collision on the Overlanders Bridge sent a rider to hospital with serious injuries. 

It is a grim reminder of the dangers motorcycle riders face, and the responsibility of all drivers to look out for one another.