REGINA – As summer inches closer, many motorcyclists are beginning to hit the road – often throwing drivers for a loop.
“When it’s first in spring, the drivers out there are not familiar seeing the motorcyclists out again,” said Robb Hertzog, owner of Prairie Harley Davidson.
The dealership is already working on serving dozens of motorcyclists for the season.
“There’ll be a few hundred people – probably 300 or 400 people that will be coming through in the next three to four weeks,” said Hertzog.
But while the number of motorcyclists in Regina is booming, enrollment in driver’s safety courses is dwindling.
“We haven’t been filling up courses for years now, and having to cancel courses because of lack of enrollment,” said Barry Muir of the Saskatchewan Safety Council.
Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) is hoping to change that by implementing new regulations this summer that would tighten the rules for new motorcyclists.
“You’ll be required to pass a basic skills and abilities test before you can have your learner’s license, or take an approved training course,” said Don Thompson of SGI. “The other one is gear — for new riders, the new requirement effective in June, will be that they have to have full coverage of their arms and legs, and wearing boots and gloves.”
The idea is that an increase in proactive training will minimize the accident rate – and keep both the riders and their rides off the pavement.
“If you hurt yourself, you could miss the whole riding season,” said Hertzog.
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