Motorcyclist Larry Nizio died of his injuries after a crash with a pickup truck Oct. 12 at Sumas Way and Marshall Road in Abbotsford. (Shane MacKichan photo)

Motorcyclist Larry Nizio died of his injuries after a crash with a pickup truck Oct. 12 at Sumas Way and Marshall Road in Abbotsford. (Shane MacKichan photo)

Motorcycle deaths spike 50% since 2017

Riders were most likely fatally crash on the weekends compared with the rest of the week

  • May. 21, 2019 12:00 a.m.

Motorcycle deaths in B.C. jumped 50 per cent between 2017 and 2018, a B.C. Coroners report has found.

Data shows there were 51 motorcycle deaths in 2018, up from 34 the year prior.

Riders were most likely to fatally crash on the weekends compared with the rest of the week. They were also more likely to die in the summer months, with only 4 per cent of deaths occurring in the winter.

Over the past 10 years, 56 per cent of all motorcycle deaths happened over three summer months. In 2018, this translated to eight people dying in June, 19 in July and 10 in August.

The report found 91 per cent of motorcyclists killed were male, echoing a report released last week that found 69 per cent of all car crash victims were men.

READ MORE: Drugs, alcohol and lack of seatbelts top reasons for fatal car crashes: B.C. coroner

Fraser Health saw the most motorcyclist deaths at 17 in 2018, followed by Interior Health at 16 and Island Health at 13.

Northern Health and Vancouver Coastal Health saw just three and two deaths last year, respectively.


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