thedrifter
04-28-09, 07:30 AM
MILITARY: Deaths continue even as motorcycle safety measures take hold
By SARAH GORDON - Staff Writer
CAMP PENDLETON ---- After four straight years of increasing death tolls among Marines who ride motorcycles, Corps leaders say they have overhauled their approach to two-wheel safety, adding a host of new training and skill-building sessions, many of them tailored to young sport bike riders.
Despite the new measures, seven Marines nationwide, including one stationed at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station and one at Camp Pendleton, have died on motorcycles this year, the same number of riders who had died as of this time last year.
Of this year's fatalities, safety officials determined that at least three had not taken the required safety courses, though the Miramar Marine, a new rider, had complied with regulations by registering for a course that he was due to take within two weeks of his death.
Still, Marine leaders say they hope the new measures will begin to show their effectiveness by summer, which is typically the deadliest season.
Early indications are that Marines who have participated in new motorcycle training and recreational activities at Camp Pendleton think the programs are helping them become safer riders.
"This is an awesome class," said 25-year-old Lance Cpl. Morgan Alkine, getting ready to practice turning on his Yamaha sport bike in a new advanced riding course offered for the first time on base last week.
The Camp Pendleton-based Marine, who has been riding for five years, said he'll take advantage of any motorcycle training offered on base.
In addition to mandatory courses at Camp Pendleton, the Marines Corps has brought several popular motorcycle schools run by top riders to the base.
On Saturday, the base held the latest in a series of what have become monthly or twice-monthly "track days," designed to let Marines rip at top speeds in a controlled environment. And a slick safety video produced to appeal to sport bike riders will premiere in May.
Marine commanders say that, since last fall, unit leaders have been asked to take more responsibility for their troops and are held accountable for enforcing riding requirements.
In addition, a recent command from Marine Corps headquarters requires that a unit's riders meet as a club once a month, with unit leaders or other commanders designated as "motorcycle mentors" who pass on safety information and riding skills.
Training better riders
The new programs began to take shape last year after a record number of Marines --- 24 ---- died on motorcycles between Oct. 1, 2007, and Sept. 30, 2008. Of those, 22 died on the powerful, lightweight sport bikes, Marine safety officials said.
Peter Hill, head of engineering with the safety division at Marine Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C., said Marine leaders know that a lack of training and skill contributed to the deaths. So most of the new safety measures are aimed at training better riders.
Track days, for example, are a chance for Marines to push their bikes in a controlled environment while observers critique their technique, Hill said.
"By getting this reinforcement and coaching, and not having to worry about other externals, like potholes or traffic or pedestrians, it allows them to really concentrate on the sport of riding," Hill said.
He said some of the Marines who participate in the track days find it is much more enjoyable to ride on a track than an open road. On the track, riders who miss a tight turn at high speeds might knock down an orange cone. On the road, the same missed turn could easily mean hitting a tree or a car.
"To be honest, if they offered the track days every weekend I'd go and stop riding on the street," Alkine, the lance corporal said. "It's a lot safer with no traffic to worry about."
Track days also provide Marines an incentive to comply with the Corps' training requirements ---- they can't participate without first completing required training and having proper licensing and registration, Hill said.
Marines are required to enroll in a three-day basic rider course when they buy a motorcycle. And riders are required to follow up with an experienced rider course within a year and a refresher course every three years.
Back to school
This year, the Marines Corps has dedicated $6 million in new money to on-base safety instruction, contracting with Cape Fox Professional Services to design and deliver new courses.
Kevin Frantum, motorcycle safety leader at Camp Pendleton, said the Cape Fox contract has doubled the number of motorcycle courses on base, and Marines are able to get into a course within two weeks. The lag time used to be as much as a month.
Also, for the fist time, the base is offering courses aimed at experienced sport bike riders.
Beyond the required riding courses, hundreds of Marines, mostly unit leaders and motorcycle mentors, have taken part in one of two professional schools that have come to the base.
For three days last week, Lee Parks, a well-known motorcycle racer and best-selling author, instructed 36 Camp Pendleton motorcycle mentors in advanced riding techniques.
In Thursday morning's segment, Parks explained the physics of turning, discussing how brakes, throttle, body angle and tread all affect a rider's control. He taught them a sequence for turning that involves powering up, braking, leaning and laying off the brakes.
Then the riders went out to practice. Parks said it would take them about 25 minutes to catch on.
Parks said his course is popular because even experienced riders need explicit instruction and plenty of practice to be really safe on sport bikes and high-powered cruisers.
"None of this is intuitive," Parks said of the techniques he teaches.
In January, another renowned sport bike figure, Keith Code, brought his California Superbike School to Camp Pendleton. The two-day course trained 30 motorcycle mentors on advanced riding skills.
Accountability
Hill said unit leaders selected for the advanced training are expected to pass on their learning to the riders they supervise.
Cpl. Josh Bottacavoli attended the Keith Code and Lee Parks courses. He said he takes his role as a safety supervisor seriously, talking to his Marines about the value of the courses he is taking, and making sure they register for their required courses.
He said Marines are beginning to understand they can "get in trouble big-time" for not taking the required training.
It is hard to gauge whether all unit leaders are conscientious about looking out for their riders, or whether compliance with motorcycle requirements is improving.
Hill estimated that as many as 20 percent of Marines who own motorcycles have not registered them on base or taken their required training. Last year, seven of nine Camp Pendleton Marines who died on motorcycles had not taken a basic rider course.
It also is unclear how often a Marine is disciplined for flouting the motorcycle orders.
"Due to the number of commands and the differing authorities within the commands, specific numbers, offenses and punishments are not kept, and cannot be obtained," Camp Pendleton spokeswoman Maj. Kirsten Lasica said.
It's not clear if any unit leader has been investigated after someone under his or her command has died on a motorcycle, riding against base orders.
"If a leader of Marines does not ensure one of his or her Marines has taken the (required training), he or she can and will be held accountable," Lasica said.
However, Marine officials said that records of administrative disciplinary actions against Marines are not normally released.
Lasica said that, ultimately, individual Marines are responsible for their own safety. A new $500,000 film that will premiere in May at Marine and Navy installations across the country aims to reinforce that message.
"Semper Ride" features interviews with champion sport bike riders and footage of riders on tracks and dirt bikes. A five-minute preview warns of the importance of training and the likelihood of a serious crash for riders who haven't learned how to handle their bikes.
Contact staff writer Sarah Gordon at (760) 740-3517 or sgordon@nctimes.com
Ellie
By SARAH GORDON - Staff Writer
CAMP PENDLETON ---- After four straight years of increasing death tolls among Marines who ride motorcycles, Corps leaders say they have overhauled their approach to two-wheel safety, adding a host of new training and skill-building sessions, many of them tailored to young sport bike riders.
Despite the new measures, seven Marines nationwide, including one stationed at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station and one at Camp Pendleton, have died on motorcycles this year, the same number of riders who had died as of this time last year.
Of this year's fatalities, safety officials determined that at least three had not taken the required safety courses, though the Miramar Marine, a new rider, had complied with regulations by registering for a course that he was due to take within two weeks of his death.
Still, Marine leaders say they hope the new measures will begin to show their effectiveness by summer, which is typically the deadliest season.
Early indications are that Marines who have participated in new motorcycle training and recreational activities at Camp Pendleton think the programs are helping them become safer riders.
"This is an awesome class," said 25-year-old Lance Cpl. Morgan Alkine, getting ready to practice turning on his Yamaha sport bike in a new advanced riding course offered for the first time on base last week.
The Camp Pendleton-based Marine, who has been riding for five years, said he'll take advantage of any motorcycle training offered on base.
In addition to mandatory courses at Camp Pendleton, the Marines Corps has brought several popular motorcycle schools run by top riders to the base.
On Saturday, the base held the latest in a series of what have become monthly or twice-monthly "track days," designed to let Marines rip at top speeds in a controlled environment. And a slick safety video produced to appeal to sport bike riders will premiere in May.
Marine commanders say that, since last fall, unit leaders have been asked to take more responsibility for their troops and are held accountable for enforcing riding requirements.
In addition, a recent command from Marine Corps headquarters requires that a unit's riders meet as a club once a month, with unit leaders or other commanders designated as "motorcycle mentors" who pass on safety information and riding skills.
Training better riders
The new programs began to take shape last year after a record number of Marines --- 24 ---- died on motorcycles between Oct. 1, 2007, and Sept. 30, 2008. Of those, 22 died on the powerful, lightweight sport bikes, Marine safety officials said.
Peter Hill, head of engineering with the safety division at Marine Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C., said Marine leaders know that a lack of training and skill contributed to the deaths. So most of the new safety measures are aimed at training better riders.
Track days, for example, are a chance for Marines to push their bikes in a controlled environment while observers critique their technique, Hill said.
"By getting this reinforcement and coaching, and not having to worry about other externals, like potholes or traffic or pedestrians, it allows them to really concentrate on the sport of riding," Hill said.
He said some of the Marines who participate in the track days find it is much more enjoyable to ride on a track than an open road. On the track, riders who miss a tight turn at high speeds might knock down an orange cone. On the road, the same missed turn could easily mean hitting a tree or a car.
"To be honest, if they offered the track days every weekend I'd go and stop riding on the street," Alkine, the lance corporal said. "It's a lot safer with no traffic to worry about."
Track days also provide Marines an incentive to comply with the Corps' training requirements ---- they can't participate without first completing required training and having proper licensing and registration, Hill said.
Marines are required to enroll in a three-day basic rider course when they buy a motorcycle. And riders are required to follow up with an experienced rider course within a year and a refresher course every three years.
Back to school
This year, the Marines Corps has dedicated $6 million in new money to on-base safety instruction, contracting with Cape Fox Professional Services to design and deliver new courses.
Kevin Frantum, motorcycle safety leader at Camp Pendleton, said the Cape Fox contract has doubled the number of motorcycle courses on base, and Marines are able to get into a course within two weeks. The lag time used to be as much as a month.
Also, for the fist time, the base is offering courses aimed at experienced sport bike riders.
Beyond the required riding courses, hundreds of Marines, mostly unit leaders and motorcycle mentors, have taken part in one of two professional schools that have come to the base.
For three days last week, Lee Parks, a well-known motorcycle racer and best-selling author, instructed 36 Camp Pendleton motorcycle mentors in advanced riding techniques.
In Thursday morning's segment, Parks explained the physics of turning, discussing how brakes, throttle, body angle and tread all affect a rider's control. He taught them a sequence for turning that involves powering up, braking, leaning and laying off the brakes.
Then the riders went out to practice. Parks said it would take them about 25 minutes to catch on.
Parks said his course is popular because even experienced riders need explicit instruction and plenty of practice to be really safe on sport bikes and high-powered cruisers.
"None of this is intuitive," Parks said of the techniques he teaches.
In January, another renowned sport bike figure, Keith Code, brought his California Superbike School to Camp Pendleton. The two-day course trained 30 motorcycle mentors on advanced riding skills.
Accountability
Hill said unit leaders selected for the advanced training are expected to pass on their learning to the riders they supervise.
Cpl. Josh Bottacavoli attended the Keith Code and Lee Parks courses. He said he takes his role as a safety supervisor seriously, talking to his Marines about the value of the courses he is taking, and making sure they register for their required courses.
He said Marines are beginning to understand they can "get in trouble big-time" for not taking the required training.
It is hard to gauge whether all unit leaders are conscientious about looking out for their riders, or whether compliance with motorcycle requirements is improving.
Hill estimated that as many as 20 percent of Marines who own motorcycles have not registered them on base or taken their required training. Last year, seven of nine Camp Pendleton Marines who died on motorcycles had not taken a basic rider course.
It also is unclear how often a Marine is disciplined for flouting the motorcycle orders.
"Due to the number of commands and the differing authorities within the commands, specific numbers, offenses and punishments are not kept, and cannot be obtained," Camp Pendleton spokeswoman Maj. Kirsten Lasica said.
It's not clear if any unit leader has been investigated after someone under his or her command has died on a motorcycle, riding against base orders.
"If a leader of Marines does not ensure one of his or her Marines has taken the (required training), he or she can and will be held accountable," Lasica said.
However, Marine officials said that records of administrative disciplinary actions against Marines are not normally released.
Lasica said that, ultimately, individual Marines are responsible for their own safety. A new $500,000 film that will premiere in May at Marine and Navy installations across the country aims to reinforce that message.
"Semper Ride" features interviews with champion sport bike riders and footage of riders on tracks and dirt bikes. A five-minute preview warns of the importance of training and the likelihood of a serious crash for riders who haven't learned how to handle their bikes.
Contact staff writer Sarah Gordon at (760) 740-3517 or sgordon@nctimes.com
Ellie