Canadian riders thinking about motorcycling during the pandemic: MCC supports the position of the International Motorcycling Federation. FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) is the global governing body for motorcycle racing. We think the following release is the correct global response to what is obviously a global health emergency:

On April 1, 2020 FIM announced its #RidersAtHome initiative. The campaign encourages all types of riders around the world, from professionals to everyday commuters, to share messages of support and to behave in a responsible manner to take care of each other. In the official release, the FIM said, “Even though riding is still permitted in some countries – the FIM is requesting that ALL riders keep their motorcycles parked in order to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries that could take up valuable healthcare resources during a period when they are already under great pressure.”

Safe At Home is Best

So our primary and overarching message to motorcycle riders across Canada is Safe at Home!

With the weather getting better across the country there will be a strong temptation to get out and ride. Please don’t do it at this time. We have all been asked to avoid non-essential travel. Motorcyclists can do their part by keeping their bikes parked in the garage for now.

The Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada (MCC) encourages everyone to follow federal and provincial guidelines during the pandemic. This means only taking essential trips right now.

And if you do have to ride your motorcycle to get to your job or for essential shopping, ride extra carefully and don’t speed. Drivers are more distracted than usual. People have a lot on their minds. Some drivers and riders are taking advantage of less congested roads to speed and stunt drive.

Now is a terrible time to get injured and require medical attention! Don’t become an additional burden on healthcare and law enforcement personnel. They already have enough on their plates.

And for goodness’ sake DON’T RIDE IN GROUPS! We all need to be practicing social distancing. A group of riders hanging together not only looks foolish. Depending on where you live in Canada, the potential exists to receive a big fine for riding in a group.

Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month in Canada and in other countries around the world. Under normal circumstances the campaign would focus on our key messages:

Distracted drivers are a serious problem for motorcyclists. We use this opportunity to hammer home messages to drivers that they need to pay full attention when behind the wheel.

We ask motorcyclists to wear “all the gear, all the time”, and ride safely and responsibly.

This year MCC will be shifting gears, so to speak. We are focusing our messaging on NOT RIDING unless it’s absolutely necessary. We always want to help save lives. In 2020 we all have an even bigger responsibility to do this by STAYING HOME and FLATTENING THE CURVE.

Be a Positive Example

Motorcyclists can set a positive example by staying home for everyone’s sake. This means:

• Don’t ride to the cottage or cabin until we get through this pandemic. We have been advised to keep away from small and rural communities. They don’t have the facilities or bandwidth to handle additional people. They won’t appreciate you being there right now.
• For off-road riders, most trails are closed at this time anyway. Riding early in the season on soft/wet trails does a lot of damage to maintained trails. Even when conditions improve for riding, we discourage riders from heading out on the trails until pandemic restrictions regarding social distancing and travel have been lifted in the area where you want to ride. You don’t want to get injured and need to be airlifted out of the bush during this pandemic.
• Please support your local motorcycle dealers and repair shops if you can. They are hurting right now. If you can buy from them online or by appointment, help keep them going. Order parts and accessories, schedule a service, or send messages of support on social media to let them know you are with them.
• Riders can share their photos and videos on social media. Let your friends know that you are polishing your ride and getting ready for when we can all get back to the joy of riding. But for now, I’m staying home and so is my motorcycle.

Don’t forget to use the following hashtags to help get the message out: #MotorcycleSafety #RidersAtHome #FlattenTheCurve #SafeAtHome