It’s that time of year again folks…more lovely weather and  more crashes on our roads. Cars, trucks, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians are all seeing a dramatic increase in crashes. Some injuries are quite serious, some are life-threatening…some are fatal.

We are all ‘road users’ regardless of our chosen form of travel and we all have a responsibility to be safe out there. Even if you’re a pedestrian, its your responsibility to make sure that no vehicles are coming before stepping out onto the street. Stop texting while you walk folks…you’re putting yourself at risk of being hit by a car, motorcycle, truck or bicycle. You can control that by paying attention and looking looking around for traffic.

Motorcycle crashes are once again spiking right now and that seems to happen every Spring. However, that doesn’t make it acceptable just because it happens every year. More bikes equals more crashes. Drivers just aren’t used to seeing motorcycles yet. Lets face it, they haven’t seen many during the winter months and every time a driver hits a motorcycle, they always say the same thing…“I didn’t see them”. Did you even look? Sorry drivers, but when a car and a motorcycle collide at intersections, the driver is at fault 90% of the time. Open your eyes and look twice in each direction before entering an intersection or when turning from one road to another. Take a look at the first video below and you will see a car pulling out in front of me while I was riding.

Now before you think I’m placing all the blame for motorcycle crashes on hapless drivers, riders have a huge responsibility for their own lives and to ride safely. Most motorcycle crashes are single vehicle crashes…just them and in those cases, it’s 100% their own fault and mostly from taking corners too quickly. Keep in mind riders, you haven’t been out on your bike for many months and you need to clear the cobwebs out and it’s almost like you have to ‘re-learn’ how to ride again. Your riding skills are rusty and so is your ability to recognize dangerous situations. There is also a lot of sand and salt on the roads left over from winter snow clearing leaving the roads rather slippery.

You’re essentially invisible out there and you need to ride accordingly. Drivers have a hard time seeing motorcyclists (partially because they don’t bother to look twice and partially due to the design of their vehicles) and to make things worse, the human eye has a hard time gauging your closing speed. Please…slow down and ride smart. I know your itching to take your bike for a rip but there are race tracks you can go to, when you really want to ride fast and hard. Public roads are not the place for spirited riding. Of course the same needs to be said to drivers who can finally put their sports cars back on the road. Take it to the track!

Driver & Rider Training Courses or Private Instruction

Regardless of how long you’ve been riding or driving, it’s a good idea to take some refresher courses every now and then. It doesn’t matter how good you are, or think you are, you can learn more and be even better. Over time we forget stuff and become complacent. We forget that driving a car or riding a motorcycle is the one thing we do every day that can get us killed. So take some responsibility and hone your skills every once in a while. For a few hundred dollars, you’re investing in yourself and your own safety. If you’re in Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, touch base with me (www.shaundejager.com). I would be happy to provide some additional driver training and help you become a safer driver. If you’re a rider, please check out LearningCurves.ca and tell them I sent you.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XIm7yb9voM
^ Nearly hit by turning car

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iToE0InVDIo
^ Driver runs red light