Maintenance window scheduled to begin at February 14th 2200 est. until 0400 est. February 15th

(e.g. yourname@email.com)

Forgot Password?

    Defense Visual Information Distribution Service Logo

    Motorcycle mentorship lunch gathers OTC bikers

    Motorcycle mentorship lunch gathers OTC bikers

    Photo By Sgt. Danielle Rodrigues | Two U.S. Army Operational Test Command motorcyclists keep the shiny side up as they...... read more read more

    WEST FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES

    03.08.2016

    Story by Michael Novogradac 

    U.S. Army Operational Test Command

    WEST FORT HOOD, Texas — About 17 military and civilian bikers met with their commanding general March 2 for his Motorcycle Mentorship Program lunch at the West Fort Hood dining facility.

    “I want to let all of you know that I care,” said Brig. Gen. Kenneth L. Kamper, commander of U.S. Army Operational Test Command. “Most commands have figured out that motorcycle mentorship really works.”
    Kamper said part of keeping motorcyclists alive is to help make them aware they are all motorcycle mentors, and their direct involvement in effective training is the edge they need. “We’re just trying to do the thousand little things routinely, and our motorcycle safety requirements are something that should also be routine,” he said.

    Stressing that leaders have to come up with new ways to improve motorcycle safety, OTC Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Schmidt told the group, “I don’t ride, but I do feel strongly about the motorcycle mentorship program.
    “Just because I don’t ride, don’t think that I’m not interested. The safety of all our green-suitors and civilians is paramount to what we do at OTC, and if you need help or emphasis from me, my door is always open to all riders.”

    Most riders at the lunch were seasoned, with 10 or more years’ experience on various bikes, such as Super Sport, Touring, and Cruiser styles. One has ridden 35 years, starting out on dirt bikes as a teen. A few own several bikes, with dreams of owning even more.

    Kamper asked if any of his riders have experienced bike accidents, so a few owned up to their encounters. Instances such as being rear-ended at stoplights, going a little too fast in a curve, and inattentive automobile drivers switching lanes on them were common threads.

    One rider at the lunch, Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Diaz, OTC’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention manager, rides 20 to 25,000 miles each year, and has ridden in Okinawa, Japan, Hawaii, South Korea, Puerto Rico, Spain, Germany, Italy, Alaska, and all over both American east and west coasts.

    “Practice, practice, and more practice makes perfection,” said Diaz. “I’ve met motorcyclists who love to imitate other people. Like, if I have a friend who rides a motorcycle that is faster than mine, I might want to ride like he does, but I have to ride within my own abilities. So, riders need to avoid peer pressure.”

    As a motorcycle mentor for several years, Diaz said all riders must be able to anticipate what could happen ahead. “You have to expect the unexpected, and always drive in the defensive mode,” he said. “It is easy to catch yourself sightseeing and daydreaming, so you have to pay attention to everything going on around you, because it can be that one split second that makes a difference.”

    Statistics show all Army installations worldwide having nearly 33,500 motorcycles registered.

    The National Highway Safety Administration, says there are over 4 million registered motorcycles in America, or just two percent of all registered vehicles.
    While about five percent of all roadway fatalities involve motorcycles each year, 80 percent of those crashes result in injury or death. For automobiles, those figures lower to only 20 percent.

    Across America during 2013, NHTSA’s motorcycle fact sheet says 4,668 motorcyclists were killed – 26 times more frequently than passenger car occupant deaths.

    LEAVE A COMMENT

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 03.08.2016
    Date Posted: 03.09.2016 13:01
    Story ID: 191730
    Location: WEST FORT HOOD, TX, US

    Web Views: 47
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN