Motorcycle Fatalities decrease by more than half in the last ten years.

Fatalities due to motorcycle accidents in BC have decreased significantly in the last decade. The fatality rate for motorcyclists, calculated by using data from the provincial department of Justice and ICBC, has dropped from its highest point in 2004 at 73 per cent to 24 per cent in 2012. The data combines the number of both motorcycle drivers and passengers who were killed in accidents.

“We’ve actually seen a significant increase in motorcycle licenses over that same time period. Between 2003 and 2012 the number of motorcycles licenses in BC has increased by 24 percent, or by 51 000 licenses, says ICBC spokesperson Leslie Dickson. “I think it’s significant that we’re seeing a recent decline even though there are many more motorcycles on the road.”

There have been 580 fatalities with involved motorcycles between 1996 and 2012. Dickson says that motorcyclists are particularly exposed when an accident happens. “Motorcyclist, like pedestrians, are vulnerable road users, so regardless of who’s at fault if there is a crash between a vehicle and a motorcyclist- it’s the non-vehicle driver who is going to be suffering more serious injuries.”

 Barry Hazard, a retired Vancouver Police officer who spent 12 years working on police motorcycle squad, says that riders increasing their visibility is key for their safely. Hazard says that even police officers didn’t start wearing reflective vests until about 15 years ago.

“More and more people wearing reflective vests when they are riding their motorcycles. You never used to see that. You’ll see more riders taking course that are insisting that [riders] wear the reflective vests while they are taking there course, which in turn makes them realize how much more observant everyone is of them. So they wear them after they get their motorcycle license."

When asked what could have contributed to the decline in motorcycle fatalities Dickson said it could be due to recent advancements in technology, such as better headlights and what a motorcyclist wears.

“One thing is helmets, helmets have improved in their design and protection- and more people are wearing proper and safer helmets. It’s also the gear that motorcyclists wear, so gear has improved significantly in the past couple decades, both the materials and the protective components that reduce injury and possibly prevent a fatal outcome”.

Hazard, who has been riding motorcycles for most of his life, also says that the amount of noise a motorcycle makes is important for a rider’s safety.

"I rode Kawasakis to begin with, because we had a split fleet- we had Kawasakis and Harley Davidsons. Kawasakis are a very quiet motorcycle. I always felt at more of a risk riding one, because if I was in somebody’s blind spot, they can’t see me and with that Kawasaki they can’t hear me either.”

Hazard says having a louder motorcycle, like a Harley Davidson, can make a difference. “You don’t have to have straight pipes like some of these guys with their race rockets have, but you don’t want to be too quiet.”

 Along with motorcycles, there has been a significant decline in car accidents overall in BC. The fatality rate (of both passengers and drivers) for car accident was at its highest in 2002 at 14 per cent. By 2012 it had dropped by more than half to six per cent.  Dickson says this could be related to the introduction of the graduated licensing program.

“We also have a graduated licensing program that for younger drivers that we introduced in [1998], hopefully that has had some impact on the decline. As we gradually let young drivers have more responsibility and give them oversight initially when they’re driving for a longer period, hopefully that has helped with [reducing] crashes.”