It is a word that no one in a newsroom likes to use, yet the use of this word is becoming more common – tragic. Last week, the lead stories in this publication and others was the tragic loss of life on the roads in Eastern Ontario over the Labour Day long weekend. Two of the three deaths reported involved a collision between a child on a bicycle, and a motor vehicle. Since publication last week, there were at least three more fatalities involved cyclists and motor vehicles in Ontario.
These fatality numbers have been increasing in the past year, and those were just the fatalities reported by police. Injury and serious injury from collisions between cyclists and motorists are on the rise. In a collision between a motor vehicle and a person on a bicycle, the bicycle rider is going to lose each and every time. For all the fatalities and injuries, there are many failures: in education, in prevention, and in enforcement.
Long gone are the days of bicycle education in schools and communities. In decades past, youth were taught the rules of the road, what side of the road to ride on, and how to stay safe when riding. Many motor vehicle drivers simply do not pay attention to the space around them, or do not respect that a bicycle on the road commands the same protections and space as a motor vehicle. Police in Ontario, including local OPP, fail to enforce existing cycling and Highway Traffic Act laws when it comes to drivers and cyclists.
The solution to this tragic issue is not the creation of new laws, but the education and enforcement of existing laws. Preventing further injuries and fatalities will take work from everyone.
Bicycle safety programs that were effective in decades past need to be brought back into schools. Families have a role to play in that too. Police need to enforce the existing laws. How many cyclists under age 18 are there riding with no helmet? Many. How many cyclists of all ages are riding on the wrong side of the road, or in unsafe manners? Again, there are many. Police also need to enforce the Highway Traffic Act when it comes to motorists who are not providing the space needed on the road for cyclists.
Of course there is a cost to this. This is where the government can play a role by increasing fines for Highway Traffic Act offences relating to cycling to put a more accurate financial cost relating to a potential vehicle and bicycle collision. Segregating those fines, and seeking partnerships with cycling equipment companies to promote education will offset some of those costs while improving education.
Being aware on the roads is the best way to prevent collisions between bicycles and motorized vehicles. We all can do our part to eliminate these preventable tragedies.
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