Are motorcycles safe?
The issue comes to light with the BC Coroners Service reporting motorcycle deaths have more than doubled in the first seven months of 2018.
Dave Groleau, the general manager of Bentley Motorad in West Kelowna, says the increase in fatalities can be attributed to a number of factors.
"We are certainly seeing an increase in just motorcycle traffic in general. With fuel prices going up, fatalities going up could be the result of more people on the road with motorcycles."
Groleau says while motorcycles and speed seem to go hands in hand, the same could be said for motorists who have a heavy foot while behind the wheel.
"Whether someone is in a high preformance car or a motorcycle, the potential for going fast is there. I would think that is no more or less dangerous than driving in my truck. There are plus and minus' with any vehicle you deciding to operate, but is speed a factor? Oh ya, its a factor in all accidents".
The BC Coroners Service says 30 people died in motorcycle crashes this year in BC, doubling the number from the same period a year ago.
"We also do find, in the Okanagan specificially, that we have a lot of riders who because of the weather when it is hot ride with inadequite safety gear. They are not wearing proper helmets. They are not wearing jackets and protection because its hot", Groleau added.
Of those 30 deaths, 12 people died from motorcycle accidents across the Interior Health region.