Safety office to hold motorcycle briefing March 23

  • Published
  • By Don Branum
  • Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  The Air Force Academy Safety Office will hold a motorcycle safety event at the Community Center March 23 starting at 9:30 a.m.

The event is mandatory for all military personnel who own or operate a motorcycle and highly encouraged for civilians who wish to ride, said Col. Kenneth Lamberth, the Academy's vice superintendent.

Riding is inherently more risky than driving an automobile due to the lack of protection surrounding the rider. Therefore riders must be fully aware of the risks they are assuming and take robust measures to counter those risks, said Clifford Tebbe, the Academy Safety Office deputy director. Those measures include training and personal protective equipment such as helmets, reflective vests, long-sleeve shirts or jackets, long trousers, full-fingered gloves and over-the-ankle footwear.

Mentorship also helps reduce motorcycle accidents, but Tebbe said that measure can be elusive.

"Activities such as membership in a club, group rides or finding a seasoned, responsible rider are key," Tebbe said. "Veteran riders should find a protégé to mentor. Impart the importance of lifelong learning, responsible riding and critical skills like crash avoidance and conspicuity."

Lamberth reinforced the need for veteran riders to mentor less experienced riders.

"There are inherent risks in riding in a motorcycle. Responsible riders adhere to good risk-management principles, which are critical," he said. "I consider it a leadership imperative to engage with all of our riders to ensure that we are reinforcing our safety culture and fostering a risk-management mindset. That rider-leader relationship is key to our motorcycle safety program."

Motorcycle fatalities Air Force wide have outnumbered automobile fatalities for three of the last five years, with an average of 15 motorcycle fatalities each year since 2010, according to Air Force Safety Office statistics. An additional seven motorcycle fatalities between October 2014 and March have put the Air Force on pace for its worst year on record.

However, the Academy has not reported any motorcycle accidents involving its personnel so far in Fiscal Year 2015. The Academy Safety Office has been recognized in previous years for its proactive risk-management efforts, receiving the Secretary of the Air Force Safety Award in 2010 due in part to its motorcycle safety program.

Attendees should meet in the Community Center parking lot's northwest corner at 9:30. The event will begin with a briefing in the Community Center Theater, followed by a burger burn, motorcycle safety inspection and personal protective equipment check at 11.

The Pikes Peak Region Green Knights Military Motorcycle Club will hold an optional 93-mile group ride at or about 1 p.m.

In the event of inclement weather, the motorcycle safety event will be held March 30.