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Why Wear A Helmet |
In the local newspaper just last week (about March 3rd) was an article about a local resident who didn't stop for a motorcyclist. The driver of the car was cited for a traffic violation. The motorcyclist was care-flighted to a regional medical center for head injuries, the local hospital was unable to properly care for the rider's injuries. The motorcyclist was not wearing his helmet.
Many of you may have read an article that came out either last summer or the summer before about a rider that was on life support for head injuries that was incurred during a motorcycle ride. This rider was rounding a curve in the road when he and his motorcycle came in contact with some oil. The bike went down, the rider's head came in contact with the pavement, shortly after, the rider went into a coma. The family of the rider was contemplating pulling the life support system that kept him alive. The ironic part of the story, that I read, is that the rider had a helmet attached to the "sissy bar" on his bike.
I am sure most of us that have ridden for a few years have either seen or heard about incidences that I have described above. Many of us have seen first hand what can happen if the bike goes down and the rider is not wearing a helmet. I have seen helmets that have protected it's rider when the bike went down, not a pretty site. The helmeted riders did not suffer any head related injuries because they were protected.
Lets take a look at some of the facts that the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) have published on their web site: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov. (for more facts visit their web site)
*Head injuries are the leading cause of death in motorcycle crashes.
*In 1997, 2,106 motorcyclists died and approximately 54,000 were injured in highway crashes in the United States.
*An unhelmeted motorcyclist is 40 percent more likely to incur a fatal head injury when involved in a crash.
*NHTSA estimates that motorcycle helmets reduce the likelihood of a fatality by 29 percent in a crash.
*From 1984 through 1997, NHTSA estimates that helmets saved the lives of 8,474 motorcyclists. If all motorcycle operators and passengers had worn helmets during those years, an estimated 6,817 more lives would have been saved.
Another fact about head injuries is that of what it costs us in terms of dollars. A privately conducted study put the average cost of hospital admissions for a non-helmeted rider at $17,704. We all pay through increased insurance premiums or through increased taxes for those individuals that become wards of the state because of their injuries.
I realize that I am "preaching to the choir" so to speak. For the most part Gold Wing riders are safety conscience. Over the few years that I have been involved with Gold Wings and the few events that I have been at I have not been overly impressed with helmet usage. Let me explain why I made that last comment. I met an individual who is a chapter educator at a non-Gold Wing event who did not want to wear a helmet because it "choked him when he wore it" and "it wasn't a Gold Wing sponsored event. The first Gold Wing Rally that I attended I was surprised at the number of Gold Wing riders that were riding their Gold Wings around the camp grounds and in the congested vendor area helmetless.
As a former chapter rider educator, I was instructed that all we could do was heavily suggest all our riders wear helmets. On all our official outings everyone wore a helmet. Yet if it wasn't an official outing many of our members chose not to wear their helmets.
I was brought up to always wear a helmet when you are mounted on a motorcycle. If you should happen to go down on a motorcycle and your helmet is not on your head you stand a very good chance of becoming one of \par those statistics that I mentioned earlier in the article.
Wearing a motorcycle helmet shows that you care about your personal safety and that you are a conscience rider. It also shows that you care for your families in that you want to be around to see them grow and you want to grow old with them.
Thank You!
Wayne
Stewart
E-WING NEWS
RIDER ENRICHMENT COORDINATOR
Crowded Raods |
CROWDED ROADS
It started a little over a year ago when GWRRA member Les
Ferguson made a comment to OHN-2's ACD Roger Orchard that it
seemed to him that the highways were getting more crowded.
Roger didn't forget the conversation with Les, he started doing
some research. What he found verified what he and Les had been
discussing. I found what Roger had discovered
was quite interesting and it prompted me to write this article.In
the past 10 years our population has increased by 15%, at the
same time the amount of highway usage has increased by
250%. These are some rather staggering numbers. Some of the
states with large increases in highway usage are California, New
York, and Ohio .
If you don't want to believe the numbers just listen to the
radio on your commute to work or watch your local television
station for the traffic reports. Around most cities there are
traffic tie-ups of some sort that can last for some extended
amounts of time. This, of course will extend your travel time to
work or to wherever your destination may be if you are traveling
for pleasure, like when you are out on the "Wing".
What is the government doing about this problem? According
to what I could find, they are planning on expanding some roads
and highways by adding lanes, improve sidewalks and bike paths
and increase cost-efficient and convenient transits. They want to
implement programs to reduce the number of vehicles on the
highways during peak hours by flex-time programs and increased
levels of ride sharing.
Traffic congestion causes increased travel time, which relates to
what it costs the people to cough up in the congestion. For
instance it costs the average driver $545 if you drive around the
Cincinnati OH-KY area or $1,370 if in the Los Angeles, CA area. I
can only assume from what I have read, that this is what costs
are incurred by the time you get through the congestion if you
were to be paid a wage.
What does that mean to us Gold Wing riders? It means that
we have to share the highways with larger numbers of drivers on
the roadways. Those of us that use the interstate system,
it means that we will sit in bottlenecks for longer periods of
time.
It seems to me that any time someone finds a good place to go or
a decent road to ride many others will follow. Of course
this leads to traffic congestion in these popular areas. It seems
that we have become a nation of sheep, in the fact that many of
us want to go where the other person goes.
What can we do in becoming part of the solution rather than part
of the problem? Adjust your riding times so that you are
not out with the "rush hour" crowd. Plan your
route to keep away from congested areas whenever possible.
Keep your group small, so that you can ride at a speed that will
keep up with the flow of traffic. If during a group ride
you have a large number of bikes and riders, insure that the
smaller groups stagger their start times enough to allow normal
vehicular traffic to get around you if they need to. You
also need to communicate in the individual group and between
groups. I don't want to get into group riding techniques,
this should be covered by your Chapter Educator for those of you
that are GWRRA members.
When I travel, I try to manage my time so that I am not near a
city during rush hour. Yet there are times when it can't be
helped. I have also found that when traveling the interstate
system there are times where you have to exceed the posted limits
to keep up with traffic or get run over, then you sit in a
"parking lot" for what seems like hours waiting for the
congestion to clear and your are in the middle of nowhere.
I have found that when I am in no great hurry to get from point
"A" to point "B" (which is very seldom)
taking the rural routes and skirting the cities can be fun and
relaxing. Then there is the added benefit of seeing some of the
greatest country that our nation is noted for.
Thanks,
Wayne
For more information visit the web sites:
http://www.tripnet.org/congestionworsenrelease.htm
http://www.tripnet.org/abalancedapproachtorelievingcongestion.htm
Wayne
Stewart
E-Wing News
Rider Enrichment
[email protected]
Drowsy Drivers |
DROWSY DRIVERS
As motorcyclists, we encounter all kinds of situations that we
must be constantly vigilant of. The MSF teaches that there
are better than 1200 different skills that we must master to
become a proficient motorcyclist. We are taught to aggressively
scan for any dangers that may lurk ahead of us. It also strongly
suggested that we take an accredited MSF course every few years,
to keep abreast of changes and to keep our minds sharp.
According to the latest statistics available from the NHTSA,
which are several years old, there are 56,000 accidents per year
that can be attributed to drivers falling asleep behind the
wheel. That number breaks down to 40,000 accidents as being
"non-fatal" and 16,000 "fatal" accidents. To
me these are rather alarming numbers.
Several years ago I wrote an article for my GWRRA chapter,
quoting numbers substantially below what is quoted above [the
above numbers are at least 3 years old]. So this tells me that
the problem is either getting worse or being recognized more. As
an avid rider this means that is another thing to be aware of,
not only in my own riding profile but in the riding/driving of
those around me.
Who is most likely to fall asleep behind the wheel? Falling
asleep behind the wheel is something that can happen to any of us
and has perhaps happened to many of us at one time or another.
The most likely candidates to encounter this problem are the
drivers between the ages of 18 and 24. Reason being, this
age group is more likely to work and party and not get the proper
amount rest in-between. But there isn't an age group that is
immune to this problem.
Perhaps one of the worse times to be out in traffic is at the end
of the normal work day.Most everyone is tired from work, the sun
is beating into your vehicle and your circadian clock says it's
nap time. This is also prime time for "road rage"
to occur because our level of tolerance is at an all time
low. Statistically though the hours between 2 A.M. and 6
A.M.are the worse times to be out on the roads. This time frame
is where a majority of the accidents occur from drivers falling
asleep.
In any case how do we recognize someone is driving while they are
drowsy. The symptoms are much like one that is under the
influence of alcohol. The vehicle will swerve in the lane, or all
over the road. Speeds can be erratic, slow then fast then
slow again etc..
How do we recognize the danger signs that we are getting drowsy?
There are several signs that let us know that we aren't driving
at 100%. If your eyes start closing by themselves, you have
difficulty paying attention, frequent yawning, or you find
yourself swerving in your lane or going off the side of the road
chances are you need to pull off the road before you hurt
yourself or someone else.
What can you do if you are experiencing the danger signs of
falling asleep? Pull off the road, take a nap for 15 to 20
minutes, when you wake up do some simple exercises like waving
your arms, or doing jumping jacks. Sometimes just stopping and
getting the blood flowing by running in place or doing jumping
jacks helps. Consume some caffeine helps also.
Here are some things you can do prior to departing on a long trip
to combat drowsiness. Pack your things early enough so you
can get a good night's sleep before you leave. Set driving limits
as to how you plan on traveling in a day. Get a good night's
sleep before you leave on a trip. Avoid drugs that can
cause drowsiness. Stop at regular intervals to get the blood
flowing through your body. Keep your mind alert by
aggressively scanning the area around you constantly.
One thing you may have to predicate your driving day on, is the
availability of hotels or places to spend the night. I have
found that if you don't have advance reservations you might not
have a place to sleep when you get to where you are planning on
stopping for the night.
As a motorcyclist, we must be constantly aware of our
surroundings. We are not immune to riding drowsy as many of
us take trips, some long and some not so long. We are also
on the roads with some others that are not alert and should have
prepared for their trip earlier than they did.
Wayne
Stewart
E-Wing News
Rider Enrichment
Cold Weather Riding |
Knowing Your Limits For Cold
Weather Riding
Here it is, January already and our winter riding season is upon
us. Well, winter riding season for those of us that are
adventurous enough to ride when the temperatures are a little
less than desirable. I happen to be one of those riders
that tries to squeeze in a ride even when the weather is a little
less than desirable.
I have been riding for a few years and have learned what I am
capable of and how far I can go. Every person who rides
needs to be aware of their own personal limits and riding
skills. When you know what your capabilities are, ride
within the window of those abilities. Always try to improve
your abilities, but do so safely. One thing that I
have learned is that these limits will change from year to
year. Also the older you get the more your tolerance for
extremes will change.
What do I look at before I venture out for a winter ride?
First is road conditions. I don't go out if I know that the roads
are slippery or going to be slippery. If we have had a
recent snow storm and the roads have been salted I'll wait for a
few days to let the four wheelers soak up most of the salt and
sand that the road crews have thrown down. The second thing
that I check is the projected weather. I look at the
forecasted temperature, and anticipated precipitation. I
normally will ride to work, which is about a 25 minute
trip. The trip isn't very long but long enough for the toes
and fingers to start to feel cold.
When I check the morning weather forecast I am looking for the
current temperature, the forecasted 5 p.m. temperature and
weather. Is it supposed to be clear, flurries or stormy
during the day? During the winter months if there is a
chance of inclement weather the Wing will just have to stay
home. Which means that I'll have to drive the dreaded four
wheeler.
I don't ride with any electrical body warming devices. My
normal riding attire is a pair of ski pants that I bought from
Wal-Mart about 5 years ago, a warm insulated jacket with a furry
collar to keep my body and neck warm, ski gloves, warm socks and
winter boots. I also will dress in layers, about three to
four. Layering your clothes is the best way to preserve
your body heat, by using the air gaps between layers for
warmth. Thus far, I haven't had the need for electric vests or
gloves and such, but I will admit that I don't venture out very
far when it is really cold.
If I am out on an extended winter ride, I let someone know where
I am going and how long I plan on being gone. I also carry
a cell phone with me in case I get into trouble and need
assistance or will be later than planned. If I get cold I
will stop for something warm to drink and give the body a chance
to get warmed up. This is when I normally need to
call home to let my better half know