Tragedy on two wheels: Motorbike deaths rising

This year has been a tragic one for Manitoba’s motorcycle community.

The latest fatality involves a 56-year-old Steinbach woman who crashed in Whiteshell Provincial Park on Sunday, the sixth motorcycle-related death of 2026.

The woman died in hospital after she lost control while heading eastbound on Highway 44 near Provincial Road 312. RCMP said Tuesday she flipped the bike into the south ditch at about 5:30 p.m. Her identity has not been released.

RCMP said the investigation is ongoing, but preliminary findings indicate debris or gravel on a curve in the road may have been a factor.

Mary Johnson, president of the Coalition of Manitoba Motorcycle Groups, called the incident tragic.

“We are devastated by it,” she said, noting she knew three of the six people who have been killed this year.

“It’s a tight-knit community here in Manitoba, so hearing there’s been another one, it’s just so very sad.”

She said she knows the Whiteshell highway well, which is a challenging route with potholes, “lots of turns” and no shoulder. Johnson said when a fellow rider dies, “it hurts.”

“Even if you didn’t know that person, it’s another motorcyclist who was riding,” she said. “Some motorcyclists we know have quit riding as a result of being close to someone who was in an accident.”

Johnson isn’t sure what’s behind the spike in motorcycle fatalities, but said it may be a situation where people are not “riding their own ride” and trying to follow the leader or riding outside of their skill set. She said there may be more riders and drivers on provincial roads.

“We’ve been really promoting with our membership: look once, look twice and then look again,” she said.

This year is outpacing others when it comes to motorcycle fatalities: four were logged in 2025, six in 2024, two in 2023 and only two in 2022 for a four-year average of 3.75.

The first fatal motorcycle collision of 2026 happened on May 11 when Ste. Rose du Lac RCMP said a 53-year-old man died after his motorcycle went off the road on Highway 276 north of the town.

On May 31, a 70-year-old female passenger on a motorcycle travelling on Highway 44 was killed after it collided with a vehicle that crossed the highway at Provincial Road 212.

Winnipeg couple Dan Keats, 65, and Brenda Lee, 65, were killed when they were hit by a pickup truck travelling south as they tried to turn west onto Highway 4 as part of a group of riders involved in a poker derby.

On Wednesday, just four days before Sunday’s fatality, a 58-year-old man from the Rural Municipality of Whitemouth was found dead by family after he failed to return home following what RCMP said was a motorcycle crash on Highway 11.

Sgt. Mark Hume, the RCMP’s unit commander for its northwest traffic services, said the high number of motorcycle fatalities is concerning and part of a larger trend, saying “our collisions are way up this year.”

He said overall, the RCMP has a five-year average of 31 to 32 deaths on provincial roads, but in 2026, there’s already been 41 fatalities.

Hume said collisions tend to “ebb and flow” every year, but agreed there are more people on provincial highways.

“There’s a ton of traffic on the roads,” he said. “Every year, the amount of traffic is growing and growing.”

He said numerous factors are at play when it comes to the increase in motorcycle fatalities. Sometimes the single motorcycle light can create the illusion it’s farther away than it is, and when a bike is involved in a crash, the injuries are usually far more serious.

“There’s no real one factor,” he said.

Hume also stressed that people must ride within their ability. He cautioned riders to slow down, both in speed and taking time to assess the road.

“Assume those other motorists aren’t seeing you all the time,” he said.

“Drive defensively, like your life depends on it.”

Drivers also have a role to play by driving sober and keeping their eyes peeled for motorcyclists and other highway users, triple checking blind spots and surroundings.

“Driving is a chore that we need to focus on for everyone’s safety,” he said.

morgan.modjeski@freepress.mb.ca