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FORT BRAGG, N.C. -- Sgt. 1st Class Ernest White said the weather was clear on the day of his only motorcycle accident. His bike was in good condition, there were no other drivers to worry about and everything seemed normal.
White, the operations noncommissioned officer in charge of the 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment on Fort Bragg, said that before his accident he hadn’t ridden his bike in a while.
White tried to stop his motorcycle using only his front brakes to perform a “stoppie” or front wheelie. The result was an accident.
White said the minor accident was an experience from which he learned a valuable lesson.
He said he believes that all Soldiers can prevent accidents on motorcycles by being conscientious of their bikes and other drivers while on the road.
“You have to ride within your limit,” said White. “You need to have respect for the power of your motorcycle and you need to have confidence in your ability to work the controls.”
Biking is dangerous, and being aware of the dangers of the road will prevent accidents.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motorcycle accidents have a higher risk of death or injury than their automobile counterparts.
Twenty percent of car accidents result in death or injuries, but 80 percent of all bike accidents have the same fatal results.
Rich Eppler, Fort Bragg Garrison Safety Office chief, said the most common cause of motorcycle accidents are cars failing to yield the right-of-way to motorcyclists, and turning in front of bikers.
Pvt. Keyjuan Goodson, motor transport operator with Company F, 407th Brigade Support Battalion, is one of many Soldiers who drive automobiles on Fort Bragg.
Having recently graduated from advanced individual training, he said he believes other drivers on the road need to follow the rules and drive safely not just to protect themselves but to protect other bikers as well.
White said he believes safety on the road is everyone’s responsibility, not just of the automobile drivers but of the bikers as well.
“When you ride by, more people are doing something in their car besides driving,” White said. “So you have to automatically assume that people don’t see you or aren’t expecting you.”
| Date Taken: | 05.27.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 12.06.2016 11:51 |
| Story ID: | 216579 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Stay alert while biking, driving to avoid accidents, by SGT Hubert Delany, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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