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This summer is shaping up to be one of the deadliest for motorcyclists in Southwestern Ontario, already matching last year’s tally and accounting for almost half of the province’s fatal crashes this year, provincial police say.
Insp. Sean Johnson of the OPP West Region Traffic and Marine Unit speaks at a press conference Thursday, July 28, 2022, at OPP West Region headquarters about the increase in fatal motorcycle crashes. (JONATHAN JUHA/The London Free Press)
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This summer is shaping up to be one of the deadliest for motorcyclists in Southwestern Ontario, already matching last year’s tally and accounting for almost half of the province’s fatal crashes this year, provincial police say.
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To date, 12 of the 25 fatal motorcycle crashes on OPP-patrolled roads and highways this year have occurred in the Western Region, which stretches from Windsor to Halton and as far north as Bruce County, the OPP said Thursday.
The dozen deaths match the 10-year average for the region, with half of the 2022 riding season still to come. At this time last year, seven fatal motorcycle accidents were registered in OPP West region.
This year’s spike prompted police to hold a rare press conference on Thursday ahead of the long civic holiday weekend.
“As you can see, we have a problem with lethal consequences,” said Insp. Sean Johnson of the OPP West Region Traffic and Marine Unit.
All 12 of the fatal cycling crashes in the region were deemed preventable, occurring “in clear, sunny and dry” conditions, he said.
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In three out of four fatal bicycle crashes, motorcyclists are at fault, Johnson said.
“These are not accidents,” he said. “All the collisions that happened on our roads this year were preventable.”
Over the past decade, half of Ontario’s motorcycle fatalities involved riders aged 45 to 64, and 87 per cent of those killed were men. In that region, men ages 56 to 64 accounted for nearly a third of motorcycle fatalities this year.
“We’re not talking about stereotypical, risk-taking young riders on a racing motorcycle,” Johnson said.
Speeding, losing control and failing to yield at intersections are among the leading causes of crashes this year, Johnson said.
That so many deaths are attributed to motorcyclists suggests they may be riding beyond their skill level or not being defensive enough, said Michael Harrison, a motorcycle instructor at Fanshawe College.
“If they’re being killed at intersections or by people coming in from side streets. . . then they don’t scan properly,” he said. “They’re not taking the necessary precautions.”
Besides wearing proper riding equipment, defensive riding is a motorcyclist’s best defense, given that the consequences are more severe for motorcyclists than for car drivers in a crash, Harrison said.
“We don’t have airbags, we don’t have rollovers that will protect you,” he said. “The only defense you have is yourself.”
jjuha@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/JuhaatLFPress
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