In the wake of two serious collisions involving motorcycles, local police are urging all drivers to stay alert and to always be aware of their surroundings.
The Chatham-Kent Police Service reported a collision involving a motorcycle on Tecumseh Line on May 18, which resulted in the rider being airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries. Earlier the same week on May 12, the Ontario Provincial Police responded to a two-vehicle collision involving a motorcycle and a passenger vehicle on Communication Road, south of Chatham. That motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.
As the weather continues to get warmer, Sergeant Jason Herder with the CK police Traffic Management Unit said drivers need to be mindful of motorcycles as they return to area roadways.
“There’s an onus that goes to the motorcycle rider themselves but there’s also a higher degree of responsibility that goes to other traffic on the roadway,” he said. “We’ve found, historically, in a lot of motorcycle collisions that we do investigate… a driver turns out in front of a motorcycle rider because they didn’t make that visual observation that a motorcycle was coming towards them.”
While there hasn’t been a prominent increase in motorcycle collisions locally over the past few years, Herder said two collisions happening within the same week is certainly noticeable. He said motorcyclists are encouraged to take extra precautions when driving, as the consequences of a collision can be far greater.
“As a motorcycle rider… you don’t have that protection of a vehicle with airbags, seatbelts, and all of the luxuries and safety features,” said Herder. “The likely outcome of injuries being more severe when you’re in a motorcycle-related collision is obviously higher.”
Both recent motorcycle collisions remain under investigation by CK police and the OPP.
Anyone who might have information regarding the May 18 collision on Tecumseh Line crash is asked to contact Constable Kristen Charron at [email protected] or 519-355-1092.
Those with information regarding the May 12 collision on Communication Road are asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS.)
