The short version
- Four people, including two 16-year-olds, have died in motorcycle accidents on Norwegian roads in a short period of time. It causes concern in the MC environment.
- In 2023, 20 motorcyclists died, and 142 people were seriously injured.
- The emergency police, the Swedish Road Administration and Trygg Trafikk gathered at Tyrigrava to encourage motorcyclists to drive more safely, and to remind them of the importance of focusing on safety.
- The risk of being killed or seriously injured on a motorcycle is 20 times greater than in a car, and 50 times greater for a light motorcycle, according to the Norwegian Road Administration.
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With the heat comes the motorbikes on the roads. It has already led to several deaths and accidents at the start of the motorcycle season.
On Saturday morning, the police received a report of an accident involving a car and a light motorcycle in Indre Østfold.
Shortly afterwards, 16-year-old Charlie Strand was pronounced dead.
On Wednesday, four days later, a 16-year-old died in Aurskog-Høland in yet another motorbike accident.
The UP boss: – Hurts deep in the heart
On Wednesday, several key players in the motorcycle community gathered at Tyrigrava just southeast of Oslo. Usually, many motorcyclists tend to come here every Wednesday, but today they were also visited by the Emergency Police and Trygg Trafikk.
– There are many people in the police who are fond of motorcycles, both in their free time and in the service as an efficient and good work tool, says chief of the Emergency Police (UP) Knut Smedsrud.
He says the latest fatal accidents are affecting him.
– 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. After all, I work with traffic safety all the time.
In 2023, 20 motorcyclists died on Norwegian roads. This constitutes a large proportion of fatal accidents in relation to the number of motorcyclists on the road network.
142 people were seriously injured, many with permanent disabilities.
This year there have been four fatal motorcycle accidents, one more than at the same time last year.
UP boss Smedsrud points out that there is a lot of risky behavior among motorcyclists, and that many drive too fast.
– Part of our message will be to do something to build up sufficiently good skills. Such as self-training, practicing cornering, practicing evasive maneuvers and emergency braking, he says.
The UP manager believes that it is perfectly possible to have fun on a motorbike, without driving at too high a speed.
– We don’t want any accidents, but it is perhaps even more tragic when 16-year-olds die in traffic.
– Make an impression
The department director for traffic safety in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Guro Ranes, also thinks it is “quite painful” to hear about those accidents.
– 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.
Department director in the Norwegian Public Roads Administration
She says that Norway is the country in the world with the lowest risk in the world of being killed in traffic.
– One of the most important things we can do is good driver’s training among young people. Before they receive the note, they must have had a good fill-in with knowledge and understanding of risk.
At the same time, she reminds that riding a motorcycle can be dangerous.
– The risk of being killed or seriously injured on a motorcycle is 20 times greater than if you are sitting in a car. If we are talking about a light motorcycle, there is a 50 times greater chance.
Brief facts about the MC dedication
- On 8 May, the police, the Norwegian Road Administration, NAF, NMCU, Trygg Trafikk and a number of other actors gather at Tyrigrava under the umbrella of the MC-dugnaden.
- The gathering is to mark a joint effort against serious motorcycle accidents in traffic.
- Approximately 20 percent of fatal accidents on Norwegian roads originate from motorcycles.
- Both authorities and organizations are united in the MC effort. Here they work with campaigns, control efforts and course offers. Trygg Trafikk believes that the individual motorcyclist’s contribution is the most important.
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– It is important to have a collaboration
Ole Martin Løkken (28), Olav Lilleland (28) and Martin Herskedal (28) think it is good to have a gathering between key players in the Norwegian motorcycle community.
– It is good that they show themselves in a perhaps slightly nicer way than when you are stopped along the road, says Løkken.
The three describe the Norwegian motorcycling environment as social and inclusive, and say that they have been affected by the recent fatal accidents.
– It makes a difference, and you think that there is not much that needs to be done before things go wrong. It is especially bad when there are such young people, says Herskedal.
– If you are going to give tips to young people who want to take the MC label, what is your advice to them?
– First and foremost, sign up for a motorcycle course on a track, and test the bike under controlled conditions. It’s a big help, answer the motorcycle mates.
Many accidents
Head of traffic safety at Trygg Trafikk, Bård Morten Johansen, tells VG that it is sad that four have died in motorbike accidents so far this year.
– 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. Young people are particularly vulnerable and are at the start of their lives. Young people are inexperienced and, even if they receive good training, they are particularly vulnerable.
