Two young Surrey motorcyclists died last week in crashes that occurred blocks from each other and just three days apart.
The first, which also involved a pickup truck, happened just before 4 p.m. Aug. 14, at the intersection of 64 Avenue and 168 Street.
The second occurred around 8 p.m. two days later, when a rider hit a centre median in the 16900-block of Highway 10.
Police investigating the tragedies confirmed both motorcyclists were 23-year-old men. Both were pronounced dead in hospital, the first within days, the second within hours.
Summing up the losses – which brought the number of fatalities in Surrey this year involving motorcyclists in their late-teens or early- 20s to four – is a near-impossible task. How does anyone make sense of such deaths involving likely preventable incidents and victims who should have had decades of life still ahead of them?
As family, friends and co-workers strive to comprehend, other road users can aim to learn from the deaths, and implement those learnings to help reduce future carnage.
Regardless of what is eventually determined to be the cause of these latest crashes – be it motorist error, a medical or mechanical incident, weather or something else – the fact is, too many who navigate the open road could do better when it comes to their safety and the safety of their fellow commuters.
Speed limits and distracted-driving laws are too often ignored, as are commonsense guidelines concerning following distance and safe-passing practices.
Many drivers simply aren’t paying enough attention to those around them; and many motorcyclists aren’t doing their part to ensure they can be seen on the road. Wearing reflective gear is one easy way riders can boost their visibility, but not enough take the step.
Simple vehicle maintenance such as ensuring headlights and signals are working (and being used) is another step in need of improvement.
The mother of one young rider who died in Cloverdale in June – on the same day he got his licence – says stricter regulations for learning to ride are also needed.
If the Surrey deaths aren’t convincing enough, consider this: the two last week (along with another in Vancouver and one in Victoria), pushed B.C.’s motorcycle-fatality total for 2018 beyond the statistical average of 32 motorcyclists killed every year in B.C.
While it’s too late to hope that this year’s death toll will be lower than years past, it’s not too late to make changes that can help reduce the odds of pushing the total even higher.