OPP issue reminder that cars, motorcycles must share the road after deadly weekend

After a particularly tragic weekend for motorcyclists on Ontario highways, provincial police have issued a reminder: motorists must share the road with those on motorcycles.

From July 14 to July 18, police report four fatal collisions, which claimed the lives of seven people, including three motorcyclists.

In a triple-fatality incident on Saturday, a pickup truck collided with a commercial truck in northwestern Ontario, killing all three occupants of the pickup truck. Police say speed was a factor in the collision. The commercial truck driver was reported as driving properly at the time.

On the same day, a vehicle travelling on a secondary highway in the Haliburton area crossed the centre line, striking four of seven motorcyclists travelling in the opposite direction. Two of the motorcyclists – a man and a woman – died and two other motorcyclists received life-threatening injuries.

READ MORE: Uxbridge couple killed, 2 injured when car, motorcycles collide in Haliburton

A third motorcyclist died in central Ontario on Saturday after colliding with a minivan. All three motorcyclists involved in these two separate incidents were reported as driving properly at the time of the collisions.

A seventh person died after he was pinned between his pickup truck and a tree in central Ontario. The man was outside the truck, trying to stop it when it rolled down an embankment and trapped him when it struck a tree.

The Ontario Provincial Police are reminding road users to not let their guard down during the summer months when roads are extra busy. In particular, drivers need to be particularly mindful of safely sharing the road with motorcycles, police say, adding that motorcycles can be hard to see.