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With three months still to go, 20024 already is the deadliest year for motorcycle riders in at least past five years, with the death toll on Ontario Provincial Police-patrolled roads nearly at 50 provincewide.
There have been 49 deaths among motorcycle riders this year investigated by the OPP – which patrols provincial highways and numerous communities across the province. There have been eight in the London region, not including two fatal crashes inside London.
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“Traffic safety is everyone’s responsibility and together we can all do a part to reduce fatal collisions,” Const. Randi Crawford said in a statement.
The London region’s most recent fatal motorcycle crash was Sept. 20 at the Colonel Talbot Road and Southminster Bourne intersection in southwest London, marking the 10th motorcyclist fatality in the London area so far this year. The death isn’t counted among the OPP’s numbers because it happened within the London police jurisdiction.
To combat motor vehicle crashes on OPP roads, Crawford said police are using traffic blitzes such as Operation Drive Smart and Keep it Safe, a campaign launched on Monday and set to last until Sunday in Southwestern Ontario.
“During this campaign officers will be focusing on educating and enforcing safety regarding stunt driving and illegal vehicle modifications,” Crawford said. “This pertains to all types of motor vehicles.”
Crawford also cited speed reduction as an important role in decreasing motor vehicle collisions.
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OTHER FATAL MOTORCYLCE CRASHES IN THE LONDON REGION IN 2024
- On Sept. 20, at about 1:30 p.m. a London man, Joe Gowers, was killed in a motorcycle crash at the intersection of Colonel Talbot Road and Southminster Bourne.
- On Aug. 23 around 8:30 p.m., between a vehicle and motorcycle in the area of Southdale Road West and Byronhills Drive. The biker died at hospital.
- On Aug. 1 around 8:15 a.m., a 33-year-old motorcyclist from Port Rowan was killed in a collision with a pickup truck at the intersection of Highway 59 and Substation Road, about 10 kilometres south of Woodstock.
- On July 25, around 12:30 p.m. a 20-year-old Ingersoll motorcyclist died at the scene of a collision with a commercial vehicle at the intersection of 17th and 19th lines south of Thamesford.
- On July 13 at about 6 p.m. a 30-year-old London man was killed when his motorcycle collided with a passenger vehicle at Prospect Hill Road and Plover Mills Road northwest of Thorndale.
- Also on July 13, at about 1:30 p.m., a 74-year-old on a motorcycle was killed in a collision on Bluewater Highway, north of Goderich.
- On June 23 about 2:45 a.m., a motorcycle left the road and struck a tree at near Longwoods and Sassafras roads, 65 km west of London.
- On June 15 around 1 p.m., two people were killed when the motorcycle they were riding was involved in a crash at the intersection of Egremont Drive and Old School Road near Strathroy. A 46-year-old woman from Adelaide Metcalfe is charged with two counts of careless driving causing death.
- On June 13, Steve Skelton, of Dorchester, was killed in a collision with a passenger vehicle at the intersection of Road 96 and 37th Line, about 10 kilometres southwest of Tavistock.
TOTAL NUMBER OF MOTORCYCLE RIDER DEATHS ON OPP PATROLLED ROADS
- 2020: 42
- 2021: 35
- 2022: 44
- 2023: 39
- First nine months of 2024: 49
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