Helmet wear: Rider’s choice? Not in my Air Force!

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Ty Foster
  • 21st Space Wing Public Affairs
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFPN) --  After more than 26 years of motorcycle riding and 21-plus years of service, I’ve given up wearing my helmet. It’s not that I don’t see any value in it. I just happened to sell my bike. Had you for a minute, didn’t I?

Well, some of our Air Force folks seem to think they can just hang their helmet up because their state doesn’t have a helmet law. They seem to think that just because other people don’t wear a helmet, they don’t have to.

They’re wrong. And if they don’t watch it, they could end up dead wrong.

Last year, an NCO from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, was riding through Colorado on his way to Sturgis, S.D. The weather was beautiful as he rode over the Rockies. At some point along his ride, he decided he didn’t need to wear his helmet. He was wrong, dead wrong. He left behind a family, friends and coworkers.

It’s always a given when we lose someone in a motorcycle crash that the biker's family suffers. The rider’s lapse in judgment evolved from a conscious thought that his or her actions were the right course to take. How would one come to the decision that taking a perfectly good helmet off one’s head is the right decision?

Recently, I received an e-mail from a friend. He told me of an Airman riding his motorcycle out of the main gate at his installation. No big deal, right? It wasn’t a big deal until he stopped his bike and took off his helmet to ride home -- big problem. The funny, but not so funny, thing was that he did it right in front of his wing commander -- very big problem.

I propose the decision to remove a helmet is entirely selfish. “I don’t like wearing a helmet.” “It’s too hot.” “I disagree with the Air Force’s requirement for me to wear a helmet when I’m riding.” To all of which I say, “So what?”

It doesn’t matter what you think. Do you question the Air Force’s dress and appearance standards? Do you question your deployment training requirements? Do you question the rules and standards of performing your duties? No, probably not, because it’s not a matter of personal choice. You joined the Air Force voluntarily and, in doing so, swore –- or affirmed –- to obey “the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”

Wearing a helmet is one of those orders according to Air Force Instruction 91-207, The U.S. Air Force Traffic Safety Program.

The AFI even goes so far as to stipulate the minimum requirements, “Helmets must meet, as a minimum, Department of Transportation standards and be properly worn and fastened. Helmets may also meet other standards such as the Snell Memorial Foundation or the American National Standards Institute. If stationed overseas, personnel may use host-nation certified, equivalent helmets.”

Ignorance is no excuse. Each of us, whether we ride or not, is responsible for knowing the standards.

Peers play a huge role in compliance, which ultimately means they play a huge role in saving lives.

Supervisors, your mission is at stake. Lose a person to a mishap for a few weeks or months and somebody has to pull up the slack. Lose them forever and you’re faced with answering that “What if I … ?” question for the rest of your life.

Commanders, the responsibility lies with you. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper has issued marching orders for mentorship programs, safety training and compliance. You are the buck and it stops here. Ensure your people know the standards and hold your supervisors accountable for enforcing them. You could be saving a life in the process.

Riders, if you’re active duty, Air National Guard or Reserve, ride by the rules. It doesn’t matter whether you agree with them or not. To selfishly decide you don’t need to comply with Air Force safety requirements is to jeopardize not only your life, but the security of our nation.

So mount up, ride by example and don’t hang your helmet up until you’re done with your ride. (Courtesy of Air Force Space Command News Service)