As every kind of motorcycle from low riders to sport bikes hit the street, one Red Deer motorcycle instructor hopes riders do so safely this summer and that other vehicles remember to look out for them on the road.
After a string of motorcycle collisions, some of them fatal, in recent weeks in and around Red Deer his points are all the more pressing.
Scotty Watters has been teaching courses on how to ride for beginners to advance students since the late 1980s.
He retired from the Canadian Forces in 1992 and now works as an instructor and co-owner of Alberta Motorcycle Training, based near Red Deer Regional Airport.
“The biggest danger for a biker on the road is anything on four wheels and above,” Watters said.
“(As a motorcyclist), you have to watch constantly. Your head and neck are on a swivel. If they’re not you’re looking for an accident.”
He said the big problem for people riding motorcycles is not being seen by cars and trucks.
He said motorcycle riders can help their chances by having extra lighting on their bikes, sometimes having a loud bike can help and wearing light and reflective clothing.
He said it’s also important for riders to have the proper gear, with a proper helmet, a jacket made out of heavy leather or some of the new man-made fabrics, proper footwear and eye protection in the event they do get into a collision.
But Watters doesn’t just blame cars and trucks for collisions.
He said at times people aren’t prepared to ride the motorcycle they are on.
Of the sport bikes often referred to as “crotch rockets”, Watters said it can be a case of “Too much power. Too much immaturity” for some of those driving them.
“When we’re in our teens and 20s we think we’re invincible. We get into our 30s and we start thinking. We get into our 40s and 50s and wonder, ‘Did I do that?.’ We start realizing we get hurt easily and it takes a lot longer to heal,” he said. “In a lot of cases it’s too much bike for the person that is on it.”
A 54-year-old man died when he hit a bump in the road on his motorcycle near Olds on Friday and a 24-year-old had to be taken to hospital and was charged with driving at an unreasonable rate of speed after allegedly hitting the back of a minivan north of 43 Street on Gaetz Avenue on Friday.
A 28-year-old man died while driving his motorcycle on 32 St. on June 24 when his motorcycle collided with the front passenger side of a truck.
Watters said he would like to see stricter licensing laws in place in the province.
“We have one of the weakest laws in Canada in this province,” he said. “Anybody can get a licence. If they take a road test they’re done.”
His advice to beginners and others is to slow down, take their time and give themselves lots of space to manoeuvre around vehicles in case they stop abruptly.
He said anyone learning on a motorcycle is best off doing so on the back roads in the country where the traffic is lighter and not as busy as it is in town.
But Watters doesn’t see motorcycles or a particular type of motorcycle as dangerous.
“It’s not the bike it’s the person on the bike,” he said.
sobrien@www.reddeeradvocate.com