On the first warm day of the year, three people were seriously injured in motorcycle accidents in Brabant. Those first beautiful spring days are the most dangerous, experts say. “You see this happen very often at the beginning of the season,” says Willemijn Pomper of Veilig Verkeer Nederland.
In Oosterhout a motorcyclist broke his leg, in Soerendonk a man slid into a car with his motorcycle and in Steensel a motorcyclist had to go to hospital after an accident with an air ambulance.
The nice weather means more motorcyclists are taking to the road. But that also entails risks. Especially if the engine has been in the shed for the rest of the year. “When people haven’t ridden all winter and then get back on their bikes, they make more mistakes or are less attentive,” Pomper explains.
On average, motorcyclists suffer 34 percent more casualties on weekends than on weekdays. On weekends in April this figure is even 73 percent, as was shown a few years ago figures from traffic IT agency VIA.
“Many motorcyclists are overconfident and pretend to be Valentino Rossi.”
Driving school owner Merlin Weber from Veghel also sees that things often go wrong at the start of the season. “Many motorcyclists are overconfident and pretend to be Valentino Rossi (the motorcycle legend from Italy, ed.). They start riding in the spring as they finished in the summer. But if you haven’t driven for a while, you have to get back into it.”
Weber therefore believes that every motorcyclist should take a refresher course in the spring. “Some are now taking some lessons again, so that they can drive around safely again. If you haven’t ridden for a long time, you should always do so, I think. Whether you are experienced or not.”
He also advises people to take lessons during the winter period as well. “Because in the summer the weather can suddenly change. And then you know how best to drive in rain and wet roads.”
“Road users are not yet attuned to each other.”
But all those accidents are not solely due to the motorcyclists themselves. Other road users are not yet used to all those motorcycles on the road. “You hardly see any motorcycles all winter long, but now we suddenly encounter hordes of motorcyclists,” Weber explains.
“Road users are not yet attuned to each other. Some motorcyclists suddenly throw their motorcycle to the right or motorists do not keep enough distance. Then things go wrong.”
And when an accident happens with a motorcycle, things often go wrong. “Motorcycles go fast and as a motorcyclist you are very vulnerable,” says Willemijn Pomper. “You have to be aware of that.”
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2024-04-07 18:30:37
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