Prince George, B.C. – Motorcycle enthusiasts in Prince George are ready to put their machines on the road for another season of riding enjoyment.

And that means both they and drivers of other types of vehicles need to make sure they are up to snuff on road safety procedures.  Angela O’Regan, an instructor with P.G. Learn To Ride, says “when you’re on a bike you don’t have any kind of protection.  So, what I always say is no matter who is right or wrong, you can be dead right or dead wrong but either way you’re dead.  So as a motorcyclist you’ve got to make sure that people can see you.  People in cars don’t always look, because they’re on four wheels and if something goes wrong chances of them getting hurt in slow traffic is probably close to nill, but on a bike at it takes is one little push and you’re on the ground.”

O’Regan says “when we teach that’s what we focus on is defensive riding.  Make sure you put yourself where you can be seen, don’t be riding in someone’s blind spot and don’t assume they can see you.  For the drivers, I’m very conscious when I drive with other people that I make sure I look twice.  The first time you only see certain things when you look.  If you look a second time you’re going to see a different picture because you’ve moved since the last time you looked.  I say that all the time, looking twice saves a life.”

O’Regan says right now gravel on the streets is a problem.  “There’s a lot of gravel on the roads and even though it may have been swept,  when you’re making a turn there’s still gravel that’s been sooshed off to the sides by the wheels of the vehicles.  So make sure that when you’re turning you’re aware of what the road looks like in front of you before you get there.”

Another key safety point is proper gear.  O’Regan says “a friend of mine took a really bad fall last year and if it hadn’t been for the gear he was wearing, he would have been in pretty bad shape.  As it is his leathers were worn down to a thin sliver.  He had to buy new gear but it’s better to buy new gear than trying to get skin grafts.”

O’Regan points out the reality of riding a motorcycle.  “It’s a fun sport but it is dangerous, you know.  It’s not the safest thing in the world to do so the people who take a course are smart.  Last year we probably had eight people who already had their license but came back and took the course right from stage one just to brush up on their skills.”

Our instructor says you also need to pay attention to what you are wearing for the conditions and time of day.  “You need gear with high-vis striping on it, and most of the gear that’s out nowadays does have the high-vis striping.  We are not mandated here (in Canada) but in parts of Europe you have to have a minimum two-inch high-vis striping around the centre of your jacket, and also on your legs.  That’s not a requirement here but you can definitely see the difference on the road.  One of those instructors has those neon green-yellow high-vis jackets, plus his helmet is the same high-vis yellow, and you can literally see him a kilometer and a half away.  It just catches peoples’ eye and make them a little bit more aware.”

O’Regan cautions that “wearing all black and a black helmet and riding a fast bike you’re going to blend into the background too much.  So the more you can do to make yourself visible the better.  It’s just common sense. ”  She says it also make sense to take you bike into a vacant parking lot where there is no gravel and practice your skills.  “Practice your fast stopping because learning how to stop your bike fast should be something that you do all the time, not just learning for the first time when you have to use it.  A front break on a bike can put you on the ground in a hurry if you don’t know how to use it.”

O’Regan says the best riders in this town are the ones that you’ll see in the parking lot at CN Centre, practicing.  “They’re the ones that probably don’t need it but they’re the ones who do it.  As well, wearing the proper helmet.  A lot of people only wear the minimum requirement and, you know, a brain injury is nothing to be ignored.”

O’regan chuckles when noting that Prince George riders are becoming very good at doing the slalom, all in the name of dodging potholes.  “In fact as soon as the snow starts going we all start memorizing where the potholes are.  The highway coming up by Walmart, from Walmart to as far as Westgate, is really bad this year.  So it’s a matter of paying attention again and maybe slowing down a bit.  You have to keep your eyes open.  Common sense is what it’s all about.”

O’Regan notes that more people, both male and female, are taking to motorcycle riding each year and says instructional classes are full on a regular basis.  She also says “if you’ve always only ever been in a car, you don’t understand the danger of what we’re doing and how easy it is for us to……if we go down, if something goes wrong, we’re the ones who are going to get hurt, not the person in the vehicle.  Their car is maybe going to get damaged but they’re going to be okay.  For us it’s just degrees of hurt.”