May is Motorcycle Safety Month

​Included in this blog are some great reminders from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation on safe riding tips.  It’s always a great idea to review things we may have learned over the years but sometimes allow to slip back into poor habits.

​Some years back I was working for a major document delivery company and as part of the training we were required to take a defensive driving course every year.  The first thing we would do is go through a Safety Check List before we even got in the vehicle.  Walking around the vehicle, checking tires, making sure lights are operational, no broken parts on the outside that could pose a hazard, mirrors are intact, wipers are in good condition, no broken glass, etc… Inside, make sure brakes are firm, check the seat-belts, toot the horn, adjust the seat and mirrors, just generally make sure everything is ready before you get out on the road.

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One of the most effective techniques we were taught was a self-talk as you are driving down the road.  You were to keep your eyes scanning the road ahead of you 50 -100 yards down the road while checking your mirrors and the both sides of the road for potential dangers and possible safety outlets.

As you’re driving down a 4 lane street (2 lanes each direction) in the right-hand lane it may sound something like this:

​“Road ahead is clear, no traffic there.  No cars directly behind me.  Truck coming up on my left side from behind.  Driveway ahead on the right. Vehicle in driveway. Looks like it’s parked.  Kids in yard playing with ball.  No outlet on my left because of truck, need to slow down a little because kids are unpredictable. Truck has passed me.  Approaching intersection with no light for me. Car at intersection on right waiting to turn left at stop sign. Make sure he sees me.  Getting ready to turn right at next intersection.  Car directly behind me. Pedestrian walking towards corner. Turn signal on. Make sure pedestrian is looking up and acknowledges me. If not slow down. Make sure car behind sees that I’m slowing down to turn. “

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​If you've never tried this it takes a lot of concentration and it's best done if someone is riding with you and can give you a constant dialog of seeing what's coming up and going on around you. It really raises your awareness of the potential dangers out there and what could be your course of action to maximize the best outcome. It also emphasizes the dangers of distracted driving, whether it’s using a cell phone, texting, eating, even talking to someone in the car that takes your attention away from what your total focus should be on.

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A few weeks ago, I was a passenger in a car and we were driving down a 4-lane road with a wide shoulder in a residential area.  We were in the right-hand lane with no-one behind us or on the left.  A school bus was ahead of us some distance and was slowing to a stop and pulling off the road to pick-up some kids on the side of the road.  I was waiting for the bus to put on their lights, but they never did.  My only guess is that since they were picking up instead of dropping off they were not required to do so.  I waited for the driver of my vehicle to pull into the left lane, but he never did!  And he never slowed down!  I guess he figured since the bus was off the road and didn’t have its lights on he was legally safe to pass it.  While technically that may be true (I’m not a legal expert here), I was silently having a heart attack where I was sitting.  I could just imagine a kid chasing another around the front of the bus and out into our lane of traffic!  Thankfully nothing happened, but I’m still haunted by what could have been a tragedy.

While driving gives the feelings of power and freedom and the ability to enjoy the scenery and all the great outdoors its primary purpose is to transport us from Point A to Point B.  And our primary objective should be to ensure that we accomplish it in a manner that is safe to both us and our fellow humans.

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