WHILE bikers may find it easier to manoeuvre through traffic without mirrors on their motorcycles or with them turned inward, the practice has been deadly for many.

Head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Dr Gary McKenzie said, when investigating the circumstances of fatal crashes and examining the motorcycles involved, a “substantial number” of bikes — especially the small ones — were found to have the mirrors turned inward or, in some instances, had no mirrors at all.

“We have had in excess of 100 motorcycles that have been involved in crashes where people have died over the past three to four years and I would say, [in] over 50 per cent of them, that was the case,” he told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.

Pointing out that it is unlawful to operate a motorcycle without mirrors, the senior law enforcer also emphasised the dangers of turning them inward.

“When they… [turn in the mirrors] it really affects safety because they are not able to see behind them. The purpose of the mirror is to ensure that they are able to see behind them and beside them so they can manoeuvre safely,” ACP McKenzie explained.

Seasoned motorcyclist Christopher Hollingsworth also pointed to how crucial the mirrors are for rider safety and awareness, but admitted to the Sunday Observer that he, too, has turned the mirrors inward while driving the vehicle through traffic.

“Most of the times, small bikers turn the mirrors in because of the traffic, to [be able to] cut between cars and not hit anyone else’s mirror,” said Hollingsworth, who has been a biker for more than a decade.

“The other reasons are, sometimes dem just take it off fi style, because the mirror that comes on the bike is big and bulky, so most of them don’t like that,“ he added.

Hollingsworth said the practice has led to many motorcyclists being rear-ended on the nation’s roads — an occurrence that is commonplace.

“The bikers don’t have any mirror to ‘prips’ [look] behind them, so a person coming in fast behind them and then [they] can’t see how close they are behind [them], so [they] get rear-ended…

“Or, a biker may be doing an overtake and a car is trying to do the same thing, and both of them swing out and the biker end up getting hit,” he said. “It happens all the time.”

While he does not completely oppose the practice, Hollingsworth is urging other motorcyclists not to routinely alter their mirrors.

“I see a lot of bikers lick off people mirror and gone enuh, so I support the folding in of mirrors going through traffic, but regularly, I’m against them being folded or missing because it plays a very, very important role in the safety of the bikers and even the persons who are driving, because the biker will be aware that they are trying to overtake also,” said Hollingsworth.

With motorcyclists still among the majority of road users killed in crashes yearly, even as the overall numbers trend downwards, ACP McKenzie believes, in addition to the national push for bikers to wear certified helmets, proper use of mirrors must also be highlighted.

Of the 364 road fatalities recorded last year, 122 of them were motorcyclists.

“I believe that maintaining the motorcycle in a drivable way is very important, not just the helmets, because being able to see clearly, and especially when they have to turn it is very important that the mirrors are actually intact. So I’ll definitely agree that the installation or the maintenance of the installation of mirrors in the correct way should be a part of the appeal and the discussion,” he told the Sunday Observer.

However, if disobedient bikers insist on flouting the rules, there are punitive measures that can be enforced.

Based on existing legislation, once the mirrors are missing the motorcycle is deemed defective and could result in a traffic ticket attracting a fine of $10,000 and the accumulation of two demerit points.

“If the mirrors are seen turned in, then what the police action would be is to stop the person and say to them that [their] mirrors are not fixed on the motorcycles as they ought to, and have them properly fixed. If for some reason it cannot be fixed properly, then that could be deemed a defect.

“If it can be fixed and the person refuses to fix it, then that would also be a prosecution for failing to follow that instruction to have their vehicle properly fixed,” ACP McKenzie said.

Meanwhile, director general of the Island Traffic Authority Colonel Daniel Pryce has also pegged the practice as an issue.

“It is a concern of ours and, like other things, it is an enforcement problem. I can tell you from where I sit that the police have their hands full; between public passenger vehicles, bikes, speeding, pedestrians, they have their hands full,” Pryce said, adding that it requires a mindset change among road users.

Besides the challenge with mirrors, ACP McKenzie told the Sunday Observer that some motorcyclists are also deliberately operating motorcycles without a functional front brake.

“We are seeing where some motorcyclists, they fail to maintain the front break and only maintain the rear brake, but the front brake is very important because that is the brake that stops motorcycles. As a motorcyclist myself, [with] over 30 years of experience in driving motorcycles, I know that, so both breaks are very important.

“Thirdly, we also see that, in some instances, the wheels of the motorcycles are not aligned, and so when the wheels are not aligned, the motorcycle is not able to be driven or manoeuvred properly because, at times, it actually resists or goes against the manoeuvre in terms of being able to be managed, because it is out of line…that usually happens when the motorcycle falls or is involved in crashes, so it is very important that those maintenance systems are in place,” McKenzie said.

Up to July 18, the official report said 209 people have been killed in crashes with motorcyclists accounting for 55 of the fatalities.