A member of Ontario’s Provincial Parliament was asked on Monday to do for motorcyclists what he did a few years ago for school bus passengers.
MPP Pat Hoy, whose school bus safety bill was approved in December 2004, was asked by about 100 motorcyclists to beef up penalties for drivers whose inattention results in motorcycle collisions.
The Chatham, Ontario, Daily News reports that a meeting was organized by the Harley Owners Group of Maple City, and that while many of the motorcyclists said they did not want jail sentences imposed on drivers who don’t look for motorcycles and then cause collisions, fines should be increased.
Hoy said he would take up the matter with the provincial transportation minister, and noted that Ontario will start enforcing a cell phone ban for drivers this fall.
Penalties for innattention are not the right approach. There is no easy fix.
The MTO must improve driver training across the board. Ban distracting devices in cars, including eating. Keep pushing for full attention behind the wheel. Train drivers to properly control vehicles. A car is not a couch.
We have to take driving more seriously. My mother was killed by an incapable driver. Putting him jail would not have made a bit of difference to anyone.
Prevention is the only answer.
For my own part, I don’t want motorcyclists to be treated any differently than other road users. I don’t want us to have any special status or specific laws that apply only when one of us is involved. I also don’t want our lives to be valued any less simply because our chosen method of transport doesn’t have steel walls.
In Ontario we need to stop rewarding our legislators for creating laws related to hot-button topics, even when we perceive a benefit to ourselves. As the man said, “Hard cases make bad law.” Haven’t we seen enough ‘bad law’ in Ontario lately?
Sounds like a positive step, but I get nervous when the government safety train gets up a head of steam.
Sorry about your friend, but the phrase “get over it” isn’t directed specifically to anybody.
Of course somebody who directly causes a death through their own carelessness should get jail time. Whether they’re driving a car, or riding a bicycle. Neither the gov nor the general public take the act of vehicle operation seriously enough, and they never will.
And I still maintain that there is NOTHING government could do to prevent somebody from driving poorly or carelessly. They could punish it but not prevent it.
I had a friend killed three weeks ago when some dumbass made a left turn in front of him. She was charged with “improper turn.” If some of these twits were put away for a while, they might just think twice.
Don’t you dare tell me to “get over it.”
I don’t like asking some grinnin’ old fart from gov. to help MC safety. Mind you the HOG chapter is likely made up of grinnin’ old farts wearing leather chaps (some fringed) who position themselves in rigid formations when they go for a ride/ parade.
This dingus will likely suggest a law making us all wear those florescent constructiion vests. Riding an MC IS dangerous, get over it.
I prefer to “keep up the carnage” and stay under the radar. especially if it keeps the cold, clammy, creepy, age spotted hand of the nannystate off of me!
Why not jail sentences? Christ, it seems like every time I go for a ride now, there’s a close call generated by some dipshit in a cage not paying attention. Might have to revert to the tactic used in the 1970s – a sawed off length of crowbar stuffed down the boot to be unleashed on the offending windshield at an opportune moment.