SNOHOMISH — Motorcyclists are being watched and warned.
Washington State Patrol troopers are cracking down on speeding and aggressive driving by motorcyclists in light of the deadly start to the riding season, patrol Sgt. Kirk Rudeen said.
A Gold Bar motorcyclist was killed Saturday afternoon after he slammed into a tanker truck on U.S. 2. Earlier in the day, another motorcyclist suffered serious leg injuries when he swerved to avoid a collision near Index. That same day, troopers stopped three motorcyclists racing along U.S. 2 at 111 mph.
“That was only the first nice day of the year,” Rudeen said. “That makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. We don’t want this to happen every sunny day.”
Initially, troopers believed that James Berninger, 65, clipped a friend’s motorcycle before he crossed the center line into the path of an oncoming tanker. Investigators now believe Berninger’s bike didn’t contact the other motorcycle, Rudeen said Wednesday.
His friends have since told police that Berninger was speeding down the onramp to the highway when he hit the grassy area that separates the ramp from the roadway, Rudeen said. Berninger lost control of his motorcycle and hit the tanker truck.
He died at the scene.
Berninger’s family is waiting for an autopsy to determine how he died, his daughter, Lindsay Berninger, 22, said.
They believe that a heart attack may have caused him to lose control of the motorcycle, she said.
“My dad isn’t one of those kind of drivers who’s going to be driving crazy,” she said. Berninger was a careful motorist who drove a dump truck for a living and was familiar with Snohomish County roads, the daughter said.
“He’s not a reckless driver. He is very cautious,” she said.
The motorcycle was registered to Berninger in March, Rudeen said. His friends told troopers the motorcycle was fairly new to Berninger. It was bigger and more powerful than bikes he had ridden in the past, Rudeen said. Troopers continue to investigate the crash.
The State Patrol has noticed an increase in motorcycle accidents and fatalities among riders in their 50s and 60s, Rudeen said. While fatal wrecks involving younger riders often are caused by speeding, crashes involving older motorcyclists often happen because of the rider’s inability to control the motorcycle, Rudeen said.
Some older motorcyclists have never ridden before. Others rode when they were younger, and want to hit the open road again.
The bikes that attract older riders generally are heavy and powerful, Rudeen said, and inexperienced and rusty riders need to take a safety class.
“Just because they have power, it doesn’t mean they need to use it, but they do need training on how to properly control it,” said Bill Davidson, president of Motorcycle Safety Co., which operates training classes in Everett.
People of all ages take his safety classes, he said. As gas prices have risen, more people are riding motorcycles and signing up, Davidson said.
The State Patrol expects that the number of motorcyclists will continue to increase as gas prices surge and the weather warms.
The patrol plans to use its aircraft more often to look for speeding and reckless motorcyclists. They also want riders to know that troopers have a zero-tolerance policy for people who ride without a motorcycle endorsement on their license. The violator won’t be able to ride off. The motorcycle must be removed by an endorsed rider or towed off the road, Rudeen said.
“We have nothing against motorcycles,” he said. “I understand the freedom and they get so much better gas mileage, but we want people to be safe.”
Herald Writer Jackson Holtz contributed to this report.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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