Brave Rifles Trooper learns importance of motorcycle safety

Photo By Staff Sgt. Erik Warren | Spc. Michael Vereecke, a Trooper with Headquarters and Headquarter Troop, 3rd Squadron “Thunder,” 3rd Cavalry Regiment rides his Harley Davidson Sportster motorcycle at Fort Hood, Texas. (Photo by Spc. Erik Warren, 3rd Cavalry Regiment Public Affairs)  

FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES

06.17.2016

Story by Spc. Erik Warren 

3d Cavalry Regiment Public Affairs Office

FORT HOOD, Texas–He started his day a little later than usual. The Trooper grabbed his motorcycle safety gear, his keys and rushed toward base.

As he rode his bike, he noticed a vehicle quickly approaching him and darting between lanes in his side mirrors. At the stoplight, a car came to a screeching halt beside him. The woman inside the car angrily yelled at him because his exhaust pipes were too loud.

At the change of the traffic light, the Trooper accelerated to get away from the angry women, but she sped up to pass him.

Then out of nowhere she cut him off.

The car brakes screeched!

Vereecke slid into the embankment on the side of the road damaging his bike.

“I had to lay my bike down to avoid hitting her or another vehicle,” said Spc. Michael Vereecke, a Trooper with Headquarters and Headquarter Troop, 3rd Squadron “Thunder,” 3rd Cavalry Regiment. “I couldn’t believe she brake checked me.”
Vereecke described brake checking as slamming on the brakes when a motorist is following too closely, which usually causes accidents.

“I didn’t see any other way out; I didn’t have enough time to switch lanes,” said Vereecke.

“Laying down” a motorcycle means to intentionally fall over to one side, so the rider gains distance from the motorcycle in efforts to avoid an accident said Vereecke.

“Some riders believe this is a legitimate technique to avoid a collision,” said Greg Deschapell, a motorcycle instructor with Fort Hood’s Army Traffic Training Program. "This is probably not the best solution, a motorcyclist almost certainly has another way to escape a situation.”

According to a Texas Department of Transportation’s 2015 survey, 459 motorcycle fatalities occur in Texas.

"Riders always have to protect themselves,” said Deschapell. "A car can be a deadly weapon to a motorcyclist, and that’s something we hope to prevent with training at Fort Hood for motorcyclist. The course teaches motorcyclist ways to prevent accidents.”

Safe riders constantly assess their situation thinking of how to escape or avoid a dangerous situation as apart of defensive driving, said Deschapell.

“Nationally, June is known as safety month, and it’s our job to ensure we take precautions to ensure the roadways are always safe,” said Deschapell.

Vereecke said he learned a valuable lesson that day about being a safe rider and attending the course.

"As I look back at the accident and the training, the lesson I learned is invaluable and can help save me as well as other drives on the road," said Vereecke. “I will avoid vehicles that are driving erratically, and I can even pull over to get distance between me and the aggressive driver. Most importantly, I will continue to practice making emergency maneuvers and quick stops to ensure I drive defensively."

• Date Taken: 06.17.2016
• Date Posted: 06.28.2016 18:13
• Story ID: 202691
• Location: FORT HOOD, TX, US