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Motorcycle safety is everyone’s responsibility
May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
April 11, 2017 By Scout McCraw
There’s a certain amount of trust required when driving a car on our roads and highways. You hope your fellow drivers are paying attention and are as interested as you are in avoiding a collision. Try and imagine what it feels like to do this on a motorcycle. You are smaller, harder to see, and have nothing separating you from other vehicles but air and your clothes.
The Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada (MCC) has an important message for all road users. “Motorcycle safety is everyone’s responsibility,” Dave Millier, MCC Chair explains. “Riding a motorcycle is a safe and enjoyable way to travel, but it requires active participation from all riders and drivers. We need to remember that, behind the helmet, that motorcyclist is someone’s child, parent, neighbour and friend.”
Warmer spring weather signals the start of the motorcycle season. That’s why May is officially recognized as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. This public awareness campaign has evolved into a national initiative to promote motorcycle safety among all road users across Canada.
Take the Motorcycle Safety Pledge
Everyone has an important role in motorcycle safety. Even if you do not ride a motorcycle, chances are you know someone that does. “At the MCC, one of our goals is to make Canada the safest place to ride a motorcycle,” Millier says. “We hope to achieve this by encouraging everyone – riders, passengers, drivers and loved ones to take the Motorcycle Safety Pledge.”
There are simple things that can be done to put safety first. Motorcyclists can pledge to ride within their limits, ride sober, obey traffic laws and make arriving alive their greatest priority. Motorists can pledge to always look twice, and to check blind spots before switching lanes. Motorcycles are harder to see than other vehicles, so double checking before changing lanes or making a left-hand turn can help ensure the safety of everyone on the road.
Join the many Canadians that support motorcycle safety by taking the Motorcycle Safety Pledge.
Visit motorcycling.ca for details.
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