B.C. Highway Patrol is hoping to remind motorcyclists of safe driving behaviour after continued good fall weather and a surge of deaths in the summer.
While fatal motorcycle crashes are at a five-year low, there have been 27 in B.C. so far in 2025, according to a news release from police Tuesday (Oct. 14).
In 2024, there were 48 crashes in the same period and 54 in the whole year. In 2023, there were 35 crashes in the same period and 40 in the whole year. There were a total of 48 crashes in 2022, 39 in 2021 and 40 in 2020.
However, the release notes that a recent spike in dangerous driving is leading to B.C. Highway Patrol focusing enforcement to stop a deadly late-season surge. Police say late summer was "particularly deadly."
Highway patrol Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said July and August accounted for almost half of the the fatal crashes, with 16 in the two months.
“Speed is the single-biggest contributing factor, with impairment and distraction close behind. That’s why we’re renewing enforcement in the next month as the riding season draws to a close," he said in the release.
As a result, B.C. Highway Patrol on the weekend of Oct. 4 and 5 impounded 32 excessive speeders, which included 13 motorcycles, on the Sea to Sky Highway alone as part of the enforcement.
McLaughlin said motorcycles can be a fun way to travel, but come with inherent risks that too many riders ignore.
"Your selfish decision to speed isn’t just about you. You’re risking pedestrians, wildlife, property, and creating massive hassles by shutting down highways. A fatal motorcycle collision is horrific. It can cause life-long emotional trauma for your loved ones, highway crews, and first responders.”
B.C. Highway Patrol is reminding motorcyclists to:
• Buy a better-quality, smaller-displacement motorcycle
• Concentrate on better cornering, stopping technique, and low-speed skills rather than speed
• Take advanced driver training
• Go to a track where it is much safer to go fast
• In groups, ride at the pace of the slowest rider
• Ride completely sober
• Ride completely focused on the road with no distractions
