Data reveals who is more at fault in deadly collisions involving motorcycles

Motorcyclists deaths are soaring: OPP OPP data shows that motorcycle fatalities have risen substantially in the last 10 years.

The warmer weather is here, which means more motorcycles are coming out of hibernation, prompting Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to release alarming data to help prevent deadly collisions.

The OPP collected information from the past decade that points to motorcyclists being more at fault in collisions that claimed the rider's life than the other motorists involved.

The data shows that between 2012 and 2021, OPP officers investigated 326 motorcycle crashes, where 342 motorcyclists died.

Of those fatal collisions, OPP says the motorcyclist was at-fault nearly 61 per cent of the time, with 39 per cent fault being the drivers of other vehicles.

Police say 120 of those collisions involved a single motorcycle, with at least one other vehicle implicated in the other 222 deaths.

"The data is a stark reminder that there can be zero risks and errors on the part of motorcyclists," OPP states in a release.

"Even the safest, most defensive riders must rely on nearby motorists exercising the same degree of safety in order to avoid causing a deadly crash," it continues.

Police say the key factors in fatal motorcycle crashes are excessive speed, failing to yield right of way, and driver inattention.

The OPP says riders between 45 and 54-years-old accounted for the highest number of deaths on OPP-patrolled roads over the last 10 years.

In 2021, officers responded to 34 motorcycle collisions that claimed the lives of 35 motorcyclists, police say.