Injury Law Group Blog

Motorcycle Deaths

Auto Accidents

According to the Ontario Provincial Police, motorcycle deaths are close to reaching a 7-year high.  This year in Ontario, 26 motorcyclists have died, which is coming very close to surpassing last year’s 29 deaths.  The cause of this unfortunate trend of motorcycle fatalities is still being investigated; however, the new data dismisses some popular myths claiming that young, inexperienced drivers are more at risk.  In fact, almost half of the victims were between ages 45 and 64, and only 16 out of the 175 motorcyclists who died since 2008 were under 25 years old, according to the OPP.  Also according to the data, motorcycle collisions occurred between noon and 6pm and road conditions have usually been clear and dry.  OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt says that “most of the causes are speed and loss of control, so it’s something we need to address.”  Another surprising finding is that in almost 30 percent of the fatalities since 2008, the motorcyclist was driving correctly.  However, since motorcycles are more difficult to see than other automobiles, they are more at risk.  Wearing a helmet is definitely important, but motorcyclists are still not as protected compared to being inside an actual vehicle.

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