motorcycle safety

Courtesy Photo | This motorcycle was involved in an accident which resulted in the death of its rider. Little or no protection is offered by a motorcycle in the event of an accident.  

FORT BRAGG, NC, UNITED STATES

10.16.2006

Story by Sgt. James Wilt 

82nd Airborne Division

by Spc. Jim Wilt
82nd (AA) PAO

FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Although Paratroopers in the 82nd Airborne Division may not be thought of as physicists, they continually prove age-old theories to be correct.

Ask any paratrooper how soft he lands while parachuting and he'll quickly explain Newton's First Law of Physics: An object in motion will remain in motion until an external force is applied. In other words, it's not like landing on feathers.

Unfortunately, several Paratroopers have also proven the same theory correct while driving motorcycles this year.

According to the Snell Memorial Foundation, a not-for-profit, helmet safety organization, per vehicle mile, the risk of death is about 20 times higher for motorcyclists than for passenger car occupants in a traffic crash.

The 82nd Abn. Div. lost four troopers to off-post motorcycle accidents during fiscal year 2006. Twenty-five percent of all reported motorcycle accidents involving a Division Paratrooper in FY 2006 resulted in a fatality.

According to the 82nd Abn. Div. Safety Office, Division Paratroopers accounted for almost ten percent of the motorcycle fatalities in the Army in FY 2006.

The four paratroopers who were killed in motorcycle accidents all made poor decisions, which contributed to their deaths.

Investigations revealed three of them had not been properly licensed, three were consuming alcohol, two were not wearing proper protective equipment, and speed was a factor in three of the deaths.

Retired Command Sgt. Maj. "Safety" Dave Henderson, the Division Safety Officer, said the Soldiers made "selfish, undisciplined decisions."

"If you got the wrong attitude, you're going to do the wrong thing. You're going to make selfish, undisciplined decisions," Henderson said.

"They did not think about the people that love them and they did not think about the people that were counting on them to go to war with them," he added.

The state of North Carolina and Fort Bragg have laws in place, which prohibit consuming alcohol and operating a vehicle, laws that regulate speeding, and laws, which require a motorcycle license. North Carolina also has a law, which requires motorcycle operators and their passengers to wear a helmet.

Helmet laws vary throughout the United States but according to the Department of Defense, all Servicemembers are required to wear Department of Transportation approved helmets as well as other protective equipment while riding a motorcycle regardless of state laws.

Helmets which are not regulated by the DOT, have the potential to "break up and start jabbing stuff into your brain" in an accident, said Daniel Unger, a Motorcycle Safety Foundation master rider.

"If a guy goes to a state where there is a no helmet law, it doesn't apply to him. He has to wear his helmet," Henderson said.

"The United States Army says if you strap on a bike, you strap on a helmet," Unger said.

Wearing the proper safety equipment and following local laws are standards in the U.S. Army.

"The key to a standard being maintained is a standard being enforced," Henderson said.

"As long as leaders watch someone not adhering to a standard, ie. not wearing the PPE, and they let it go, we are going to continue to have this," Henderson said. "It takes every leader in the 82nd Abn. Div. to stop that Soldier and make the on the spot correction and not allow that Soldier to operate that piece of equipment unless they're wearing the proper equipment."

Henderson also emphasized the role of young noncommissioned officers in making an impact on safety.

"If the sergeant major, the first sergeant, the company commander, the platoon leader stands up there flapping their gums all day long it don't mean jack," Henderson said.

"For the youngster down in the squad, it takes the squad and the team leader down there actively engaged just as much in safety with the same attitude, the same attention to detail, the same enthusiasm as they do when they are getting ready for patrol in the middle of Fallujah," he added.

"Would a sergeant allow you to jump out of an airplane without your [Advanced Combat Helmet] on, without your parachute on?" Henderson asked.

"No!" he answered rhetorically.

"So why would that sergeant allow you to ride your motorcycle with a non-DOT approved helmet on? It all goes back to enforcement. A standard is only as good as the enforcement of that standard," he said.

The leadership of the U.S. Army and the 82nd Abn. Div. provides ways for Paratroopers to educate themselves on motorcycle safety.

Fort Bragg offers two different motorcycle safety classes, which are required for any Paratrooper to operate a motorcycle.
The basic course for novice riders provides motorcycles for students to train on.

The advanced course, which is designed for more experienced riders, requires students to bring their own motorcycle and proof of ownership.

"This saves a guy from going down and riding a little 125cc at the basic rider's course and then jumping on a big 1800cc motorcycle that he may not be able to handle," Henderson said.

"Attending a motorcycling school is a proven method of preventing injuries for new riders and returning, experienced riders," according to Snell.

The Department of the Army and 82nd Abn. Div. is continuously trying to educate Soldiers on motorcycle safety.

"We need to put the same amount of planning and enthusiasm and making sure everyone understands their part in the mission into safety as we do in attacking a compound in the middle of Afghanistan. If we do that we are going to be successful," Henderson said.

"I have faith that the leadership of the United States Army takes this seriously," he said. "I have faith that the NCO Corps and Officer Corps in the Army take it serious enough that they will ensure this information is disseminated."

"Motorcycles are fun and they are an economical way to travel but do it safely, wear the right equipment," he said.

• Date Taken: 10.16.2006
• Date Posted: 10.16.2006 13:22
• Story ID: 8025
• Location: FORT BRAGG, NC, US