Bikers ask drivers to 'look twice' as motorcycle crashes rise

Stacey Butler has been riding motorcycles for 12 years, but after losing a friend last monthand a close call of her own she now avoids riding on the streets of Moncton.

Erin Robertson, age 41, died after an accidenton the afternoon ofMay 19 when her motorcycle slammed into a car at the intersection of MountainRoad and Plaza Boulevard.

Another motorcyclist was killed on Sunday in Moncton after colliding with apickup truck turning left onto Shediac Road.

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Butler says the 'Look Twice, Save a Life' campaign has been around for a while but she is now promoting it with decals on her own motorbike in an effort to prevent drivers from pulling out in front of bikes.

"They look once and then they look the other way and then they go. But ... you really need to look the other way once again because in that two or three seconds a motorbike or a car anythingcan be there."

"We often say watch for motorcycles because there are no fender benders."

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Butler calls Moncton drivers "horrible" and says many are distracted and notfocused on what is going on around them.

"I try to avoid the city of Moncton as much as possible," she told Information Morning Moncton.

"I can pretty much guarantee you if I am riding through the city of Monctonfor a couple hours I will have at least four or five close calls that day."

RCMPare reminding drivers to pay attention to the road with a total of four fatal accidents involving motorcyclists in the province so far this year.

Close call on Mountain Road

Butler was hit by a car on MountainRoad three summers ago and says she is lucky she didn't lose her foot.

She explains she was driving straight when a nearby car hit her.

I just don't know what people are thinking. They're driving a weapon that could easily kill someone on a motorcycle and they really need to pay more attention.- Stacey Butler

"The second I see a car that is stopped to turn you can almost guarantee one of those vehiclesin that lineup is not going to look and they're going to cut the wheel to the right to try to go around because they don't want to wait for that turning car and that's what happened to me on Mountain Road."

Butler managed to avoid a more serious accident by driving over the curb and onto the sidewalk.

She isdoing everything she can to raise awareness among drivers in New Brunswick, including giving out decals that read, 'Look Twice Save a Life,' and encouraging motorcyclists to wear bright coloured clothing and to put lights on their bikes, but she says the reality is none of itwill help unless people pay attention when they are behind the wheel.

"I just don't know what people are thinking. They're driving a weapon that could easily kill someone on a motorcycle and they really need to pay more attention."

Butler's daughterbought her first motorcycle last summer when she turned 18 and Butler says she has never been so proud and so scared at the same time.

"Look twice and save a life is much more than just a biker awareness campaign to me," she said.

Butler wants to see more billboards and signsthroughout province to remind people to watch for motorcycles and share the road.