– AD –
This year, Quebec motorcyclists are invited to ride their travel machines “like in the old days” with a simpleidea in mind: keep a clear head and the pleasure intact. That’s why the Fédération Motocycliste du Québec (FMQ) is launching “Ride with Joy, Sober mind!”, a series of 15 video capsules that combine quality information, good humour, and a touch of biting humour to address the dangers of impaired driving.
The project consists of 15 capsules (12 in French and 3 in English), each lasting 4 to 5 minutes. These will be broadcast from June 24 to mid-October 2025, with one capsule per week on the plaisiramoto.com website, on the FMQ’s social media networks, as well as on partner platforms, including the Quebecor media network.
For Daniel Savoie, the idea was clear from the start: “I wanted to play with archetypes and stereotypes without falling into moralizing. Kevin is there to provoke reactions, but also to open discussion.”
This character, halfway between an old alley biker and a slightly annoying brother-in-law, has ideas steeped in clichés about the biker myth, but, as they say, he also has a good heart! He says out loud what some are thinking quietly and helps to de-dramatize subjects often considered taboo in the motorcycle community.
This mirror effect gives rhythm to the capsules. The humour is never gratuitous: it serves to awaken awareness and pique curiosity. It is also a way to set a benevolent tone, which contrasts with the sometimes guilt-inducing approaches of road safety campaigns.
What distinguishes “Ride with Joy. Sober Mind” is its global approach. The discourse is not just scientific or normative; it is relational, psychological, cultural, and even humorous. They talk about risk perception, group dynamics, social pressure, cultural acceptability, behavioural change, relationship management, and balancing pleasure with respect.
The FMQ draws on years of experience and constant work at consultation tables to advance social acceptability and troubling data: impaired driving (alcohol, legal or illegal drugs, medication) is still present in a significant proportion of serious or fatal motorcycle accidents. In Quebec, approximately 24% of motorcyclists who died between 2016 and 2020 had alcohol or drugs in their system, according to the SAAQ.
Nearly a third of accidents involving a motorcycle occur in situations of loss of control, and a good portion of these are also due to distraction, aggressiveness, and underestimation of the effects of seemingly harmless medications.
However, the FMQ primarily wanted to prevent, inform, and unite. Sylvain Bergeron summarizes it this way: “What we want is not just ‘Yes, safety is important’ when someone puts a microphone under your nose or questions you at a family dinner. What we want is for motorcycle enthusiasts to ask themselves THE real question: “What are you doing concretely to ride safer?”
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Raven Média is the publisher of ATV Trail Rider, UTV Planet, Planete Quad, Le Monde du VTT, Passion Motoneige and Custom Tour magazines. Aside from our powersport magazines, we also publish the bilingual versions of ATV/UTV Reference Guide.
© 2023 Raven Média. Tous les droits sont réservés.
© 2023 Raven Média. Tous les droits sont réservés.