Courtesy Photo | New York State Police Trooper, Sgt. Eric Iacovissi, one of only a few motorcycle...... read more read more
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According to Mr. Michael Tulley from the Safety Office there are just over 300 registered motorcycle riders on Fort Drum.
“The riders range from all age groups, experience levels and motorcycle types,” said Tulley. “This yearly event kicks off the motorcycle season here on Fort Drum. For many, today is the first time they have ridden their motorcycle this year so that makes this type of refresher training critically important to both inexperienced and experienced riders.”
Tulley continued to say that this is a great opportunity for riders from across the installation to come together and share a common passion and stay updated on critical motorcycle safety information.
The 10th Mountain Division Deputy Commander for Support, Brigadier General Andrew Rohling, kicked off the event with opening comments about his 30-year love of motorcycles and how he has gotten smarter over time with experience and age.
“My first accident I was only driving about a mile and half from my home, who would have thought I was going to spill at low speed on a nice day,” said Rohling. “Everyone in this room either has been in an accident or will likely be in an accident at some point, so why would you not wear proper safety gear.”
He related a couple of talking points on military standards for motorcycle riding both on and off post and the potential deadly and costly outcomes of not wearing protective gear, high speeds and dangerous riding behavior.
Rohling closed out his remarks by simply stating, “Do not be that guy or girl in flip flops and shorts who gets in an accident.”
The guest speaker and presenter for the event was New York State Trooper, Sgt. Eric S. Iacovissi. He covered a wide range of topics from safety equipment, maintenance, accident avoidance, high beam daytime usage, aggressive driving, types of motorcycles, safety courses, and motorcycle fatality data and statics. According to Iacovissi, speed and alcohol rank among the top attributing factors towards deadly crashes on New York State roadways.
“28 percent of deaths involve some type of impairment by alcohol, and those are only the ones tested and another 34 percent involve excessive speed and reckless driving,” said Iacovissi.
“Safety equipment alone will not prevent or provide adequate protection against these type of factors; there are enough roadway hazards and driver distractions without adding poor judgment and substance or alcohol abuse.”
He stressed the importance of safety courses and how Soldiers are fortunate that the military offers so many courses to its members.
“Safety courses allow you to experience different road conditions, challenges and dangers in a controlled event where there are no other vehicles, light poles and potential other deadly hazards. In a training course worst thing is you knock over a cone and you go home safety after.”
Some of data points really hit home for many of the Soldiers. Although the room was almost evenly split between sport bike riders and cruisers, many in the room were surprised to hear that as a sport bike rider they were four times more likely to be killed in a motorcycle accident than their counterpart on a cruiser. Additionally, males accord for 94 percent of fatal accidents as operators versus females 95 percent as passengers.
“The key to safe motorcycle riding is knowing your limitations, situational awareness, training, avoid distractions and always wear proper equipment,” said Iacovissi.
At the end of the session Iacovissi took questions on his past experiences as a trooper and went over specific New York State laws for both residents and non-residents while stationed here at Fort Drum. When asked about why troopers wear only half helmets instead of a full face helmet, Iacovissi replied by saying officers are required to wear a half helmet to allow them to hear their environment and respond to emergency situations where a full face helmet would be difficult to get off or would not allow proper movement or hearing to quickly react in potentially lifesaving or threating situations.
Sgt. Iacovissi expressed his thankfulness for being invited as the presenter and speaker before turning the floor over briefly to a New York State Police Recruiter to cover some of the requirements and common questions for Soldiers looking into a career in law enforcement with the state police.
“One of the things I love best about this job is the opportunity to come interact and talk to service members in a non-emergency or law enforcement capacity. The military and state law enforcement share so many of the same values and traditions. I want to thank everyone here for their service and sacrifice and it is great knowing that our shared love for motorcycles and riding brings us just that much closer,” said Iacovissi.
For more information on motorcycle safety, riding requirements or safety courses here on Fort Drum please contact your unit senior motorcycle safety mentor or the 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum Safety Office.
| Date Taken: | 05.01.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 05.01.2017 15:33 |
| Story ID: | 232147 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 147 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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