Instructor reminds motorcyclists to 'make yourself seen' as bikes return to northwestern Ontario roads
Thunder Bay police responded to 15 collisions involving motorcycles in 2024
As the weather warms, and the rumble of motorcycle engines returns to the roadways and highways of northwestern Ontario, safety is top of mind for Greg Stein.
He's the president and chief instructor with the Motorcycle Safety Training Organization North Western Ontario (MSTO).
"You ride like you're invisible, but try to make yourself seen," Stein said during a recent training session at the MSTO's training centre in Oliver Paipoonge. "Motorcyclists are vulnerable road users, so much like cyclists, pedestrians, people aren't always looking for them."
"There's lots of distracted driving," he said. "So just looking twice could save somebody's life."
"And it's also on the part of the motorcyclist as well, to make sure that they don't ride in people's blind spots, watch their speed, different things that they can do to make sure that they're safer on the on the road."
Stein said riding a motorcycle riders should make sure their bikes are in working order, and head out to a parking lot to practice emergency braking and swerving, before hitting the road.
According to the Ontario Provincial Police, 2024 saw the most motorcycle fatalities in the province in two decades. Fifty- seven riders were killed on OPP-patrolled roads.
While none of those fatalities occurred in northwestern Ontario, North West OPP say they responded to 12 motorcycle collisions in the region last year.
In Thunder Bay, meanwhile, police responded to 13 collisions in 2024, none of which were fatal (as of Tuesday, Thunder Bay police had responded to two motorcycle collisions so far this year).
Stein said he loves the freedom of riding.
"Being more in tune with the machine, the sights, the sounds, the camaraderie, being able to go places that you can't typically go in another automobile if it's off road, exploring the world, meeting new people, other riders from around the globe," he said. "I've been fortunate to ride in other countries and meet people from all over, so it's really cool."