It has been a deadly seven days for motorcyclists in eastern Ontario.
There have been three fatal collisions in the region, resulting in six deaths, since July 31.
A crash last Wednesday in Kingston between a motorcycle and a vehicle killed the driver and passenger of the motorbike.
On Friday night, two men died when their motorcycles collided at the Highway 416/417 split in Ottawa.
And a three-motorcycle collision in Faraday, near Bancroft, on Saturday left two others dead.
One of the men involved in the crash in Ottawa Friday was identified as 24-year-old Creed Jones, a former goalie for the Gatineau Olympiques.
“There’s evidence from witnesses that they were traveling at high speeds,” said Ottawa OPP constable Michael Fathi.
“But the exact speeds, we won’t know yet until the investigation has been completed.”
Fathi goes on to say that the Ottawa detachment of the OPP deals with calls nightly about motorcycle riders who are street racing up and down Highway 417.
“They travel in groups. A lot of them don’t have license plates on their motorcycles. They have no intention of stopping for the police. So even when we do try to stop them, they don’t stop,” Fathi tells CTV News.
“We’re not going to pursue a motorcycle. It’s dangerous for the general public, it’s dangerous for the motorcycle riders. So yes, this happens quite frequently.”
Fathi says most motorcyclists are safe and law-abiding riders, but it takes all drivers on the road to ensure there are no further fatalities.
“For people driving in the passenger vehicles, they have to make sure they’re doing their shoulder checks. The motorcycles are smaller, you don’t always see them, and sometimes they just creep up on you.”