As the weather warms up in Grande Prairie more and more motorcycles will be hitting the streets. May is Motorcycle Safety Month and Grande Prairie rider Renee Charbonneau wants to remind others that safety becomes their responsibility as soon as they swing their leg over the seat.
“Come to your motorcycle with your head in the game. Motorcycle safety starts with your attitude and how you approach riding. If you come to the game with your best defence mind on board you’re gonna be that much safer.”
Before even hitting the road for the first ride of the season, Charbonneau recommends taking some time to get reacquainted with your motorcycle.
“You’ve been off of it for a good long four to seven months depending on what part of the province you live in. Go to a parking lot [and] practice your breaking, practice your turning, practice snapping your head around and paying attention to where you’re going so that potholes don’t catch you by surprise.”
According to RCMP, there were 12 people killed and 232 motorcycles involved in injury collisions in Alberta in 2018. Because of that, Charbonneau says wearing the proper equipment when riding is also important. As puts it, dress for the slide and not the ride.
“Very often I see people who ride with just a vest on and their arms are exposed or they’re wearing flip flops on their feet… It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when you’re going to go down and when you go down are you going to complicate your healing process by having an infection caused by road rash.”
Charbonneau says at the end of the day, the only person that can help you stay safe out on the road is you. Motorcycle Safety Month runs until May 31st.