Riders 'revved up' for motorcycle safety day

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Torey Griffith
  • 11th Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. --  Service members, along with Department of Defense employees, retirees and civilians gathered for the Joint Base Andrews Motorcycle Safety Day here July 15.

The event, which included a group ride through Maryland's Prince George's County, was designed to inform riders of all skill and experience levels on how to combine their passion for two-wheeled travel with good practices that will keep them riding safely.

"What we are really about here today is to bring emphasis, sensitivity and focus to something that we can prevent," said Terry Yonkers, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and logistics, and an avid motorcycle rider. "Motorcycle safety is an important tool we can all use to prevent motorcycle-related deaths and other serious injuries."

Air Force officials have named 2011 "the year of motorcycle safety," and members here are planning to make the motorcycle safety day a yearly event.

"This is hopefully the start of many safety days to come," said Christopher Parks, the Joint Base Andrews assistant fire chief. "The Joint Base Andrews Motorcycle Safety Day is a benchmark for the riding community as we improve the safety of our military's only indispensable assets: our service members."

A steady rise in motorcycle ownership among service members has brought with it an upward trend of motorcycle-related deaths and injuries, officials said. Bases throughout the Air Force have begun similar programs to combat the injuries and loss of life.

"This is a contact sport and a defensive sport," Yonkers said as he addressed the riders at the opening ceremonies. "On any given year, there are 12 to 17 Airmen who die in motorcycle accidents. We want you to enjoy the ride, but at the same time, we want to ensure that you're safe."

The safety day is more than a reminder to strap on a helmet. Event officials also taught riders how to perform inspections on their bikes and gave pointers on how to sharpen their riding skills.

Highlights included demonstrations of precision ridership by members of the motorcycle team from the Sheriff's Department of Fairfax County, Va.; a slow-ride contest, in which contestants displayed their mastery of balance and bike control; and a "beer goggles" contest, where participants rode tricycles while wearing vision-blurring goggles to simulate drunk riding.

"You can bet that we are very, very serious and passionate about motorcycle safety," Yonkers said. "This year and every year to follow is going to be a motorcycle safety year for the United States Air Force."