Many a year ago an Air Force General called me into his office and
wanted to know what I thought about Motorcycle Clubs, etc. His view was
what to do about his young GI's dying on motorcycles. I told him that
he could pick up a telephone book in almost any city and look up in the
yellow pages about training. You can learn to drive a car, bus tractor
trailer, fork lift, crane or just about anything your want to accept at
that time a motorcycle.
I started the motorcycle rider education program for the Air Force, I
remember that first year we reduced motorcycle fatalities by 80
percent. That same year a man by the name of Dr. Harry Hurt at my alma
mater (USC) was chasing motorcycle accidents and working on his paper
about motorcycle fatalities and head injuries. Another gentleman by the
name of Dr. Charlie Hartman in Maryland was working very hard on the
infancy of what is now well known as the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.
In this scenario the one main thing I want to impress on you is while I
was an instructor as well as a seasoned motorcycle rider with every bit
of 3 million miles on two wheels, I always played the game of "What
if"... What if I were to have a flat tire, where will I go. In traffic,
what if that car were to turn in front of me, where, what will I do.
This little game prepared me for lots of things in traffic. Have you
ever played that waiting game at a four way stop or for that fact a
traffic light controlled intersection, waiting oft that car to turn
left, oh! you say, he don't have his BLINKER ON, well let me tell you
more accidents are right smack dab in the middle of the intersection,
waiting for someone to turn left.
I learned to read the road, for example, a dark spot probably oil from
the undercarriage of the hundreds maybe thousands of cars dipping down
and the springs compressing and then the oil being slung off onto that
spot, day in, day out, right in the middle of the road, more likely than
not would indicate a depression or dip just prior to it. The telephone
poles that align the highway that would be turning left or right, this
same thing might be a row of trees, in any event they would indicate
that the road was going to turn with the poles, concurrently, left or
right. When you go down a hill or just crest a hill there will be a
probably wind change in direction, possibly velocity, or maybe no wind
at all, will you be ready. As that big 18 wheeler is coming at you or
getting ready to pass you or you pass him, are you ready for that wind
shear that will meet you head on and nearly blow you off the road if you
are not ready. Again What if... There are many things to learn and
proper braking is one thing that must be PRACTICED, PRACTICED AND
PRACTICED and that is in any type of vehicle not just a motorcycle. If
you are not planning on having to stop you probably won't.
As a safety officer for the USAF for over 30 years I investigated lots
of traffic accidents. In our community we have joint or concurrent
jurisdiction with three City Police Departments, Sheriff's Department,
the California Highway Patrol and last but certainly not least the USAF
Security Police.
I offer you these thoughts to start YOU to play the game of what if. If
you are planning on stopping or looking where your "OUT" will be you
will probably survive the worst of situations. If you do not play or
plan where you will go, you probably won't do a thing and ruined into
what you are trying to get away from! OR, It will be the driving of some
body else that saves your hide or more likely than not just plain dumb
luck that you did not get hurt, and were allowed to return home to
your families one more time. I know you had the S____scared out of you
some time during your expanse of operating a motor vehicle. And,
because you were not ready, and the other guy was, he saved your
hide. The adrenaline flowed through your veins and your brow was sweaty
along with your hands and if you didn't pee your pants you probably
should have and were really very lucky! But then on the other hand were
you?
I wager you to look out that window and see the people you are operating
and competing with out there, out on the highway. On a cold morning I
have observed women putting make up on, looking in the mirror, smoking
a cigarette, drinking coffee, picking there noses, and each one were all
doing about 60 MPH and the windshield as well as the other glass in the
car was so fogged up, inside or outside it was a miracle you could see
them in their cars. That's right folks, think about it- you're all
moving down this spanse concrete called a highway at 60 miles per hour
and somebody is doing something other than driving his/her automobile.
"What if", is such an important part of your driving. You must be
alert! you must learn to read the road and you must learn to play "WHAT
IF" If you do not do this you are playing Russian Roulette with a
loaded gun! Chuck
wanted to know what I thought about Motorcycle Clubs, etc. His view was
what to do about his young GI's dying on motorcycles. I told him that
he could pick up a telephone book in almost any city and look up in the
yellow pages about training. You can learn to drive a car, bus tractor
trailer, fork lift, crane or just about anything your want to accept at
that time a motorcycle.
I started the motorcycle rider education program for the Air Force, I
remember that first year we reduced motorcycle fatalities by 80
percent. That same year a man by the name of Dr. Harry Hurt at my alma
mater (USC) was chasing motorcycle accidents and working on his paper
about motorcycle fatalities and head injuries. Another gentleman by the
name of Dr. Charlie Hartman in Maryland was working very hard on the
infancy of what is now well known as the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.
In this scenario the one main thing I want to impress on you is while I
was an instructor as well as a seasoned motorcycle rider with every bit
of 3 million miles on two wheels, I always played the game of "What
if"... What if I were to have a flat tire, where will I go. In traffic,
what if that car were to turn in front of me, where, what will I do.
This little game prepared me for lots of things in traffic. Have you
ever played that waiting game at a four way stop or for that fact a
traffic light controlled intersection, waiting oft that car to turn
left, oh! you say, he don't have his BLINKER ON, well let me tell you
more accidents are right smack dab in the middle of the intersection,
waiting for someone to turn left.
I learned to read the road, for example, a dark spot probably oil from
the undercarriage of the hundreds maybe thousands of cars dipping down
and the springs compressing and then the oil being slung off onto that
spot, day in, day out, right in the middle of the road, more likely than
not would indicate a depression or dip just prior to it. The telephone
poles that align the highway that would be turning left or right, this
same thing might be a row of trees, in any event they would indicate
that the road was going to turn with the poles, concurrently, left or
right. When you go down a hill or just crest a hill there will be a
probably wind change in direction, possibly velocity, or maybe no wind
at all, will you be ready. As that big 18 wheeler is coming at you or
getting ready to pass you or you pass him, are you ready for that wind
shear that will meet you head on and nearly blow you off the road if you
are not ready. Again What if... There are many things to learn and
proper braking is one thing that must be PRACTICED, PRACTICED AND
PRACTICED and that is in any type of vehicle not just a motorcycle. If
you are not planning on having to stop you probably won't.
As a safety officer for the USAF for over 30 years I investigated lots
of traffic accidents. In our community we have joint or concurrent
jurisdiction with three City Police Departments, Sheriff's Department,
the California Highway Patrol and last but certainly not least the USAF
Security Police.
I offer you these thoughts to start YOU to play the game of what if. If
you are planning on stopping or looking where your "OUT" will be you
will probably survive the worst of situations. If you do not play or
plan where you will go, you probably won't do a thing and ruined into
what you are trying to get away from! OR, It will be the driving of some
body else that saves your hide or more likely than not just plain dumb
luck that you did not get hurt, and were allowed to return home to
your families one more time. I know you had the S____scared out of you
some time during your expanse of operating a motor vehicle. And,
because you were not ready, and the other guy was, he saved your
hide. The adrenaline flowed through your veins and your brow was sweaty
along with your hands and if you didn't pee your pants you probably
should have and were really very lucky! But then on the other hand were
you?
I wager you to look out that window and see the people you are operating
and competing with out there, out on the highway. On a cold morning I
have observed women putting make up on, looking in the mirror, smoking
a cigarette, drinking coffee, picking there noses, and each one were all
doing about 60 MPH and the windshield as well as the other glass in the
car was so fogged up, inside or outside it was a miracle you could see
them in their cars. That's right folks, think about it- you're all
moving down this spanse concrete called a highway at 60 miles per hour
and somebody is doing something other than driving his/her automobile.
"What if", is such an important part of your driving. You must be
alert! you must learn to read the road and you must learn to play "WHAT
IF" If you do not do this you are playing Russian Roulette with a
loaded gun! Chuck
