Editor: In response to M. Mitchell’s letter, “Be on the lookout for motorbikes at all times,” I have very little knowledge of the accident he is referring to other than what I read in the paper.
However, I do live in Glen Valley and have plenty of experience observing motorcycle riders.
As well, I often drive the stretch where the accident occurred.
It is not uncommon to see upwards of 100 motorcycles on a sunny Sunday morning (and sports cars as well) drive past my property.
Glen Valley is very popular because of the numerous turns and long stretches of “seemingly” deserted roads.
Motorcyclists like to “lean into the corners” and “open her up” on the straight stretches, and Glen Valley roads provide plenty of that.
While it was mentioned that “speed may have been a factor, a much larger factor is the driver failed to recognize that he did not have enough time to make his turn.”
The speed factor has a significant bearing on the second factor. First of all motorcycles are harder to see than a car.
Secondly, from my observations, motorcycles are very often speeding. That is a deadly combination.
Many bicycle riders now use flashing strobe lights which are visible and remarkably eye-catching for many hundreds of feet even in broad daylight. But few motorcycles use them, perhaps because it’s not cool.
And the ones that do seem to be the ones who ride slower.
I have personal experience of this as I bought such a device for my son when he rode a “crotch rocket” and he wouldn’t use it.
Well, neither is being dead “cool.”
Fred McNeill,
Langley
