Calgary police caution motorcyclists to ride safe during ‘dangerous’ season

While this time of year is typically dangerous for motorcyclists, Calgary police remind them to stay safe after one was lucky to only receive minor injuries after falling off his fast-moving bike Friday.

Officers say they received reports about a pack of six or seven motorcyclists driving excessively fast–at around 100 kilometres an hour–on Crowchild Trail and 17 Avenue SW Friday before 7 p.m.

One of them lost control and was “ejected from the motorbike.” He was treated by EMS and was taken to Foothills Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Calgary police Staff Sgt. John Guigon, also a motorcyclist, says police usually see lots of accidents during this time of year.

“Unfortunately, this time of year, we see a lot of really bad motorcycle accidents, including several fatalities. So this young person is relatively lucky that they got away with some road rash, basically,” he told 660 NewsRadio.

He says it’s dangerous for various reasons, including gravel on the road and other debris, a motorist’s familiarity with motorcyclists, and rust collected on their skills from winter.

“They could have been a new motorcycle driver, which happens a lot. They could have been driving faster than their ability allows them,” he said.

“It could be something to do with the other drivers who just aren’t used to seeing motorcyclists again. It could have been any one of those things, or all those things really.”

Officers responded to 29 deadly crashes in 2024, 18 of which involved pedestrians or motorcyclists. Police noted 2024 was the worst year for fatal collisions since 2013.

There were five fatal collisions and 104 injury collisions involving motorcyclists in 2023. 

While police and Calgarians alike wouldn’t want to see more crashes in the city, Guigon says motorcyclists can help by being mindful of where they are relative to other motorists.

“Make sure you understand that as a motorcyclist, there is a huge blind spot for other motorists. Stay out of that blind spot. You know exactly where it is,” he said.

“Don’t drive beyond your ability. Be honest with yourself about how good a motorcyclist you are. It is a skill. It’s a perishable skill. When we don’t do it for five or six months of the year, you lose some of your ability. Ease yourself back into it.”

Guigon says gravel in the springtime is like ice on the road, which will “knock the back wheels out of your motorcycle in an instant.”

“It’s happened to me, it’s happened to a lot of motorcyclists, so just be careful of that,” Guigon said.

But it won’t be like that for too much longer, as Calgary’s spring cleaning is happening now and is expected to finish in June. This includes a cleanup for Deerfoot Trail.

Lastly, awareness goes both ways, Guigon says, noting that motorists should also be aware that motorcycles are out and about.

“They don’t have the protection that you have in a vehicle. So, take care,” he said.

With files from Nadia Moharib