The Fort Myer Safety Office displays a wrecked motorcyle in the courtyard of the Fort Myer Dining Facility Wednesday to draw attention to what can happen if proper motorcycle safety techniques are not used. Its owner was killed in the wreck.
The Fort Myer Safety Office is resorting to twisted measures to highlight the importance of motorcycle safety. One big twisted, mangled and wrecked measure, to be precise.
Wednesday in the courtyard between the Fort Myer Dining Facility and the Community Activities Center, a wrecked motorcycle was put on display in an effort to give bikers a real look at what can happen.
The bike was involved in an accident in Arlington, Va., off of Interstate 66; its owner was killed in the wreck.
‘‘We do these kinds of things to emphasize that motorcycles have the potential to be dangerous,” said Mary Thomas, acting safety director for the Fort Myer Military Community, ‘‘not only because of the attitude some people have on bikes, but because they [bikes] aren’t as easily viewable.”
She noted that most motorcycle accidents happen because riders weren’t taking the necessary precautions to make themselves more visible in traffic. Often times, too, they aren’t wearing proper protective equipment (helmet, gloves, jacket, boots).
‘‘This event is a combination of information and a reality check,” Thomas said.
Motorcycle safety is a growing concern for the Army. Within the Department of the Army, there have been 26 motorcycle accidents this year; 25 of those were fatal. The Department of the Army loses the equivalent of one company per year on average to privately owned vehicle accidents, according to Thomas.
‘‘That’s much higher than this time last year,” she said.
She credits the increase with an increased number of motorcycle riders in the Army. Motorcycles are a more attractive option for transportation because they use less gas than most cars. So Soldiers returning from duty abroad who might have bought a sports car in past years are buying street bikes instead.
Paul Gainsback is from Cape Fox. He teaches motorcycle safety army wide. He says the classes are generally full.
‘‘There are four main types of motorcycles: offroad, cruiser, standard, and sportbikes. On occasion, you may see an additional type, a dualsport. Soon we’ll be rolling out a motorcycle sport rider’s course. Sport riding is more technical. It focuses more on cornering and stopping skills,” he said.
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