Motorcyclists, protect yourselves

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Ty Foster
  • 21st Space Wing Public Affairs
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFPN) --  As I sat down to write this article, a staff sergeant friend of mine who is stationed at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., called me on the phone.

"Guess what I got?" he asked.

"Married," was my first response. I followed that up with a new pickup truck, then a house.

"My Harley," he said. With the pride of a new father, he dealt out detailed specs on his $21,000 hunk of 100th-Anniversary, American-made engineering.

He started talking about one of his break-in rides. During a motorcycle's "break-in" period, operators are encouraged to stay below 55 mph and "take it easy" to let the engine's internal components seat properly.

He was 450 miles into his 500-mile break-in. Cars were passing him and his cool ride left and right. He'd had enough. He blasted past a line of cars straight into a swarm of bugs that peppered his face and bike. Two of the little winged devils even made their way into his ear canals.

"I'm getting a full-faced helmet," he told me. At the time, he'd been wearing a half-helmet. The full-faced helmet offers more protection from the environment, to include bugs. Aside from the obvious bug protection, the full-faced helmet will protect his ears, his eyes, and, if need be, his skull in the event of a collision.

"I like the 'Harley look,'" he said. Leather vest, short-sleeved T-shirt, jeans and boots were all he would wear when he went to an upcoming motorcycle rally.

I reminded him that the Air Force and Department of Defense instructions required the full regalia of protective equipment for active-duty military members at all times, not just on base.

I ran down the laundry list: a Department of Transportation, Snell Memorial or American National Standards Institute standards-approved helmet which is properly fastened under the chin. "Beanie" helmets do not fulfill DOT safety requirements and are not authorized.

He knows that while the Beanie helmets may appeal to some riders because they are both light and inexpensive, they offer virtually no skull protection in the event of impact. So, when people ask me how much they should pay for a helmet, I respond, "How much is your head worth?"

Regardless of how cool he wants to look on his new ride, I reminded my friend that the Air Force also regulates protective eyewear for motorcycle riders.

He wears impact-resistant goggles, but when he gets his full-faced helmet, he can use the properly fastened face-shield as eye protection. He knows that neither eyeglasses nor sunglasses are authorized by the instructions for eye protection.

He is also smart enough to realize the reasoning: Windblast at highway speeds causes the eyes to dry out. The eye's natural response is to tear up. Tears obscure vision thereby reducing the rider's No. 1 sense for perceiving hazards in his path. Additionally, studies have shown that riders who only wear sunglasses as eye protection are less likely to turn their heads to check their blindspots. Why? Because the force of the wind rips their sunglasses right off their face.

No eye protection.

Since he doesn't have a windshield on his shiny hog, I didn't have to tell him that it isn't considered adequate eye protection unless the windshield is equal to or higher than the height of the operator's helmet, when sitting in an upright position.

His ideal image already factored in leather boots. He knows we are required to wear sturdy footwear, and over-the-ankle shoes are strongly encouraged.

The long pants required by Air Force Instruction 91-207, U.S. Air Force Traffic Safety Program, didn't seem to be a problem either. He'd probably buy some leather chaps soon, too. A Kevlar impregnated riding suit just didn't seem to fit the image he was shooting for, though.

He had a good set of leather motorcycle gloves. They had come in handy with the bugs, and they also gave him better grip on his hand controls.

He balked at having to wear a long-sleeved shirt or jacket all of the time.

Then the all-too-familiar argument against the contrasting colored, outer upper garment -- most people commonly think of the infamous orange vest -- popped up.

We didn't even get to the fact that he has to wear a reflective upper garment when riding at night. As a fellow Air Force professional and his senior in rank, I had to step up on my core values soapbox to show him the big picture.

"It doesn't really matter what you think about wearing them," I told him. "You gave up that choice when you took your oath of enlistment." Just as wearing our hair and our uniform are matters of compliance, so too, is wearing all of the protective equipment required by military instructions.

"It's about your integrity, not your image," I told him.

What the required riding gear may do is protect us from serious injury or death in the event of a collision.

"Nothing you wear will prevent an accident," I said. "The only protective gear that will do that is between your ears."

Motorcycle safety really is an attitude. Got it? Good.