Tyrigrava a little south of Oslo, along Gamle Mossevei, is a well-known meeting place for motorcycle enthusiasts on both four and two wheels. Here, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, the police and ten organizations met several hundred motorcyclists for a motorcycle rally on Wednesday evening. The theme for the evening was road safety.
– We would very much like to have everyone involved in the MC effort, so we can reduce the number of accidents. We have no one to lose, says Lars Inge Haslie of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, who leads the MC effort.
– Make an impression
Four people have so far lost their lives in motorcycle accidents this year. On Saturday, 16-year-old Charlie Strand died after a hit-and-run accident in Indre Østfold. Yesterday came the tragic news that another 16-year-old had lost his life in traffic. This time at Løken in Aurskog-Høland. Mayor Roger Evjen told Romerikes Blad yesterday about a village in mourning.
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– A bad day for the entire municipality
The accident figures affect UP chief Knut Smedsrud.
– It hurts deep in the heart. Both as a private person, as a former motorcyclist, father of a young person who has ridden a motorcycle and as a professional. I work with traffic safety all the time, Smedsrud told VG on Wednesday evening.
The accidents affect the head of traffic safety
Department director Guro Ranes for traffic safety in the Norwegian Road Administration was also present at the gathering along Gamle Mossevei. She allows herself to be moved by the tragic events of the past week in which two teenagers lost their lives.
– It makes an impression on us. All these deaths, they are not numbers in a statistic, they are people of flesh and blood, with family, friends and a circle of friends, she tells VG.
In the same VG article, Bård Morten Johnsen, who is head of traffic safety at Trygg Trafikk, calls the four fatal accidents this year a tragedy and a terrible start to the season.
– We especially think of those who lose young people at the start of their lives. This is a terrible start to the season, a time when we should really be looking forward to good weather and dry roads. Two 16-year-olds in a short space of time is a tragedy that is difficult to accept even for those of us who work with road safety every day, he tells the newspaper.
High number of accidents after downhill runs
In 2023, 20 people died in motorcycle accidents. 14 of these died in downhill accidents. So far this year, four lives have been lost in traffic.
Lars Inge Haslie in the National Roads Administration has the following advice for motorcyclists who are going out on the roads after a long winter.
Advice for motorcyclists from the Norwegian Road Administration:
Use your gaze smartly
- Get an overview – avoid surprises.
- Seek eye contact.
- Look where you’re going.
- Always look for a way out.
Adjust the speed
- Slow down before the turn.
- Can you stop?
- Choose a speed where you can be detected.
Position yourself wisely
- Make yourself visible – don’t hide.
- Get room for maneuver – front, back and sideways.
- Drive clearly – be predictable.
Source: Norwegian Road Administration
– Remember that it has been a long time since you have driven and been part of the traffic picture. Take into account your own skills and that other road users are not used to looking for you. In addition, there are both cold tires and cold asphalt, and there is still loose sand in many places early in the season.
The MC team gathers behind the message “You create your own safety”.
This is the MC work
The MC-dugnaden is a collaboration between the user organization NMCU, importer and dealer associations of motorcycles, NAF MC, KNA, Trygg Trafikk, Nord University, the industry organizations for the traffic schools Statens vegvesen and the police with a goal of better traffic safety for motorcyclists.
In 2023, the MC mission launched the message – “You create your own security», which is a message to MC drivers to be aware and make wise choices so as to avoid an accident.
The MC work has been going on since 2019.
This year’s charity was organized at Tyrigrava on 8 May.
Source: Norwegian Road Administration
– The most common fatal accident is downhill driving on a bend, says Haslie. We saw that last year, and we have seen that in previous years. It is largely about choosing a location that ensures distance to other drivers and choosing a speed you can master, says Lars Inge Haslie.
Tags: Traffic Norwegian Road Administration deaths numbers statistic human beings flesh blood
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