Friday, June 7, 2013

    Well hello again! It has been awhile since my last post. but hopefully I can get back into things here. A reason for my extended absence, is last October 16th, 2012, I had a pretty bad crash on the freeway here in Phoenix. Overall I held up fairly well all considered. I credit this to wearing my gear! I did not get away though without injury however.
       I ended up shattering my right tibia, and got 6 broken ribs as an award. This could have been much worse though, as demonstrated by my helmet. The face shield? Gone don't know where it went. The chin bar? New flat spot. Top right vent? Ground off  down to deep core of shell. That could have been my melon, but I am glad to report the money maker is all well. My jacket and gloves took the abuse and only some friction burns on me to show for it. Pants? Well they used scissors to cut those off but since all my skin was still in place I say they did well for sliding down the freeway. And the boots just had some buckle grind. All of the gear did what it was supposed to do. Now landing on the backpack I was wearing is what broke the ribs, and trying to pole vault off my right leg while holding on to an 800 pound motorcycle tends not to work out so well.

     Now I would like to be able to say this occurred  because I was cut off, or someone came into my lane etc. but it was none of the above. it was 100% rider error. basically in a nutshell I did not adjust my following distance appropriate for the speed I was approaching, leaving me too short of a distance to brake appropriately. This was because we were going from an HOV lane ending and becoming a standard lane, and when I head checked to right to see if anyone would try to come over like they do most days, I did not notice my lane was speeding up. and as we did I did not back off to give me more braking distance. So When I looked forward again and saw the noses of the truck in front of me and the care in front of it take a hard dive forward, I got on my brakes. When I did it was a bit aggressive and I locked the rear. Now since rear was locked I kept it locked as you should, however, it started tracking to left so I could not swerve to avoid impact, so I was committed to the path of travel. As I kept applying the front brake as well, it got to the point where I was getting closer to truck, and I squeezed that right hand a little to much and the front brake locked to which is bad news. So at the angle I was, it it flipped and I low sided hard as my right foot came off the floorboard. The rest is just a ride in the bright red van and a 4 day hospital stay, and a piece of steel and some screws in my bones to remember the occasion by.
    So if you take anything away from this it is the following... Head and eyes up and forward at all times. Make head checks quick, just long enough to get traffic orientation around you, and always give yourself more braking room then you think you need. Does that mean someone will pull in that space while riding? Yes probably, but just back off that car as well. arriving 2-3 min later is a much better option then a few days n the hospital, or worse.
     Now it is June, and I have been up and riding again for the last month. My VTX1300R was totaled, but I still have my 2012 KLR650, so that is my rider now, and It is a lot of fun being all bouncy and go anyplace stance. So I am back in action, and will be reporting on summer rides here in Arizona as I experience them.
Until next time ride safe, ride often, see you on the road.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Hurt Report Summary




I know it has been published before many times, but I thought one more time couldn't hurt. Here are the findings from the Hurt Study Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures. A motorcycle accident study offers you and your students a wealth of information about accidents and how to avoid them. The "Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures," is a study conducted by the University of Southern California (USC). With funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, researcher Harry Hurt investigated almost every aspect of 900 motorcycle accidents in the Los Angeles area. Additionally, Hurt and his staff analyzed 3,600 motorcycle traffic accident reports in the same geographic area.
Reprinted here for your information and use are the findings. The final report is several hundred pages. If you choose to have this document in your resource library, the order information is: Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures, Volume 1: Technical Report, Hurt, H.H., Ouellet, J.V. and Thom, D.R., Traffic Safety Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90007, Contract No. DOT HS-5-01160, January 1981 (Final Report) This document is available through: The National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161 "Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures" Findings Throughout the accident and exposure data there are special observations which relate to accident and injury causation and characteristics of the motorcycle accidents studied. These findings are summarized as follows:


1. Approximately three-fourths of these motorcycle accidents involved collision with another vehicle, which was most usually a passenger automobile.

2. Approximately one-fourth of these motorcycle accidents were single vehicle accidents involving the motorcycle colliding with the roadway or some fixed object in the environment.

3. Vehicle failure accounted for less than 3% of these motorcycle accidents, and most of those were single vehicle accidents where control was lost due to a puncture flat.

4. In the single vehicle accidents, motorcycle rider error was present as the accident precipitating factor in about two-thirds of the cases, with the typical error being a slideout and fall due to overbraking or running wide on a curve due to excess speed or under-cornering.

5. Roadway defects (pavement ridges, potholes, etc.) were the accident cause in 2% of the accidents; animal involvement was 1% of the accidents.

6. In the multiple vehicle accidents, the driver of the other vehicle violated the motorcycle right-of-way and caused the accident in two-thirds of those accidents.

7. The failure of motorists to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic is the predominating cause of motorcycle accidents. The driver of the other vehicle involved in collision with the motorcycle did not see the motorcycle before the collision, or did not see the motorcycle until too late to avoid the collision.

8. Deliberate hostile action by a motorist against a motorcycle rider is a rare accident cause. The most frequent accident configuration is the motorcycle proceeding straight then the automobile makes a left turn in front of the oncoming motorcycle.

9. Intersections are the most likely place for the motorcycle accident, with the other vehicle violating the motorcycle right-of-way, and often violating traffic controls.

10. Weather is not a factor in 98% of motorcycle accidents.

11. Most motorcycle accidents involve a short trip associated with shopping, errands, friends, entertainment or recreation, and the accident is likely to happen in a very short time close to the trip origin.

12. The view of the motorcycle or the other vehicle involved in the accident is limited by glare or obstructed by other vehicles in almost half of the multiple vehicle accidents.

13. Conspicuity of the motorcycle is a critical factor in the multiple vehicle accidents, and accident involvement is significantly reduced by the use of motorcycle headlamps (on in daylight) and the wearing of high visibility yellow, orange or bright red jackets.

14. Fuel system leaks and spills were present in 62% of the motorcycle accidents in the post-crash phase. This represents an undue hazard for fire.

15. The median pre-crash speed was 29.8 mph, and the median crash speed was 21.5 mph, and the one-in-a-thousand crash speed is approximately 86 mph.

16. The typical motorcycle pre-crash lines-of-sight to the traffic hazard portray no contribution of the limits of peripheral vision; more than three-fourths of all accident hazards are within 45deg of either side of straight ahead.

17. Conspicuity of the motorcycle is most critical for the frontal surfaces of the motorcycle and rider.

18. Vehicle defects related to accident causation are rare and likely to be due to deficient or defective maintenance.

19. Motorcycle riders between the ages of 16 and 24 are significantly overrepresented in accidents; motorcycle riders between the ages of 30 and 50 are significantly underrepresented. Although the majority of the accident-involved motorcycle riders are male (96%), the female motorcycles riders are significantly overrepresented in the accident data.

20. Craftsmen, laborers, and students comprise most of the accident-involved motorcycle riders. Professionals, sales workers, and craftsmen are underrepresented and laborers, students and unemployed are overrepresented in the accidents.

21. Motorcycle riders with previous recent traffic citations and accidents are overrepresented in the accident data.

22. The motorcycle riders involved in accidents are essentially without training; 92% were self-taught or learned from family or friends. Motorcycle rider training experience reduces accident involvement and is related to reduced injuries in the event of accidents.

23. More than half of the accident-involved motorcycle riders had less than 5 months experience on the accident motorcycle, although the total street riding experience was almost 3 years. Motorcycle riders with dirt bike experience are significantly underrepresented in the accident data.

24. Lack of attention to the driving task is a common factor for the motorcyclist in an accident.

25. Almost half of the fatal accidents show alcohol involvement.

26. Motorcycle riders in these accidents showed significant collision avoidance problems. Most riders would over brake and skid the rear wheel, and under brake the front wheel greatly reducing collision avoidance deceleration. The ability to counter steer and swerve was essentially absent.

27. The typical motorcycle accident allows the motorcyclist just less than 2 seconds to complete all collision avoidance action.

28. Passenger-carrying motorcycles are not overrepresented in the accident area.

29. The driver of the other vehicles involved in collision with the motorcycle are not distinguished from other accident populations except that the ages of 20 to 29, and beyond 65 are overrepresented. Also, these drivers are generally unfamiliar with motorcycles.

30. The large displacement motorcycles are underrepresented in accidents but they are associated with higher injury severity when involved in accidents.

31. Any effect of motorcycle color on accident involvement is not determinable from these data, but is expected to be insignificant because the frontal surfaces are most often presented to the other vehicle involved in the collision.

32. Motorcycles equipped with fairings and windshields are underrepresented in accidents, most likely because of the contribution to conspicuity and the association with more experienced and trained riders.

33. Motorcycle riders in these accidents were significantly without motorcycle license, without any license, or with license revoked.

34. Motorcycle modifications such as those associated with the semi-chopper or cafe racer are definitely overrepresented in accidents.

35. Likelihood of injury is extremely high in these motorcycle accidents - 98 percent of the multiple vehicle collisions and 96% of the single vehicle accidents resulted in some kind of injury to the motorcycle rider; 45% resulted in more than a minor injury.

36. Half of the injuries to the somatic regions were to the ankle-foot, lower leg, knee, and thigh-upper leg.

37. Crash bars are not an effective injury countermeasure; the reduction of injury to the ankle-foot is balanced by increase of injury to the thigh-upper leg, knee, and lower leg.

38. The use of heavy boots, jacket, gloves, etc., is effective in preventing or reducing abrasions and lacerations, which are frequent but rarely severe injuries.

39. Groin injuries were sustained by the motorcyclist in at least 13% of the accidents, which typified by multiple vehicle collision in frontal impact at higher than average speed.

40. Injury severity increases with speed, alcohol involvement and motorcycle size.

41. Seventy-three percent of the accident-involved motorcycle riders used no eye protection, and it is likely that the wind on the unprotected eyes contributed in impairment of vision which delayed hazard detection.

42. Approximately 50% of the motorcycle riders in traffic were using safety helmets but only 40% of the accident-involved motorcycle riders were wearing helmets at the time of the accident.

43. Voluntary safety helmet use by those accident-involved motorcycle riders was lowest for untrained, uneducated, young motorcycle riders on hot days and short trips.

44. The most deadly injuries to the accident victims were injuries to the chest and head.

45. The use of the safety helmet is the single critical factor in the prevention of reduction of head injury; the safety helmet which complies with FMVSS 218 is a significantly effective injury countermeasure.

46. Safety helmet use caused no attenuation of critical traffic sounds, no limitation of pre-crash visual field, and no fatigue or loss of attention; no element of accident causation was related to helmet use.

47. FMVSS 218 provides a high level of protection in traffic accidents, and needs modification only to increase coverage at the back of the head and demonstrate impact protection of the front of full facial coverage helmets, and insure all adult sizes for traffic use are covered by the standard.

48. Helmeted riders and passengers showed significantly lower head and neck injury for all types of injury, at all levels of injury severity.

49. The increased coverage of the full facial coverage helmet increases protection, and significantly reduces face injuries.

50. There is not liability for neck injury by wearing a safety helmet; helmeted riders had less neck injuries than un-helmeted riders. Only four minor injuries were attributable to helmet use, and in each case the helmet prevented possible critical or fatal head injury.

51. Sixty percent of the motorcyclists were not wearing safety helmets at the time of the accident. Of this group, 26% said they did not wear helmets because they were uncomfortable and inconvenient, and 53% simply had no expectation of accident involvement.

52. Valid motorcycle exposure data can be obtained only from collection at the traffic site. Motor vehicle or driver license data presents information which is completely unrelated to actual use.

53. Less than 10% of the motorcycle riders involved in these accidents had insurance of any kind to provide medical care or replace property.

End of Hurt Report Summary

Information from the International Motorcycle Safety Conference '90 that you can use right now.

  • Driving a car makes you a safer motorcyclist, possibly because it lets you understand the enemy.
  • Age and experience make you a safer rider, although experts disagree on which factor is more important.
  • You are in greater danger in urban areas than out on the road, even though you may be traveling faster in a rural area.
  • Many riders put on a helmet for a ride in the country but don't bother when riding around town. The facts suggest this is contrary to what they should be doing.
  • Drinking and riding, not surprisingly, is even more dangerous than drinking and driving a car.
  • Other motorists usually can't see you as well as you think they can. Vehicles and objects frequently block you partially or completely from view. In addition, many drivers have not learned to look for and identify motorcyclists. Making yourself and your bike as conspicuous as possible will help you to avoid the other guy.
  • “If you're on your bike at night, wear white," says an old Rolling Stones song. It's still true 25 years later. White also makes you very visible during the day. Black is a poor choice but not as bad as olive drab.
  • For the same reasons you should be conspicuous, you also should learn evasive techniques: braking swerving, staying in the right gear for maximum acceleration.
  • Developing the judgment to use these techniques properly is even more difficult but just as critical.
  • Lane position is also an important avoidance technique and may be more vital than braking in some situations. Basically, you should move yourself away from any potential threats before they violate your right-of-way.
  • While rider training equips you with the essentials or sharpens an experienced rider's skills, it still leaves a lot to learn. At the moment, the statistics that are available don't promise the trained rider a huge survival advantage. Experience, judgment, a sober mind, conspicuity and a mature attitude are your best protection against accident involvement.
  • Helmets work, and they don't cause neck or other injuries. There is no indication that they interfere with control or perception. Riders who wear helmets are simply much less likely to sustain head injuries.
  • Even though one paper questioned the effectiveness of chin bars for protection, all other experts, including those who have done much more extensive studies, believe that chin bars with EPS foam offer important additional protection. In general, the more a helmet covers, the more real protection it offers.
  • As Harry Hurt, who has done more independent research than anybody in this area, remarked: "Don't worry if you are wearing a helmet with a chin bar. Worry if you're not."
  • When buying a helmet, you should fasten in properly, then see if it can be rolled off your head by pulling up and forward at the rear.
  • It is difficult for a helmet to meet both the Snell and D.O.T. standards. Some helmets that claim to meet both actually meet neither, although this probably is not too important to buyers unless they are paying a premium to get the Snell label.
  • A cheapo $70 helmet offers protection very close to what you get from a $300 helmet with similar coverage.
  • Glasses and dentures might amplify the injuries sustained when you receive a facial impact.
  • If you're a frequent passenger and want to be a better one, take a Motorcycle RiderCourse.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

New to the T.E.A.M.

One early spring day I was out for a ride towards New River to meet up with a like minded group of motorcyclists and friends. As I was enjoying the bright azure blue sky and the floating cotton candy like clouds overhead,  all served up at the perfect temperature of 80 degrees, with all the beauty the Arizona desert can present me,  I paused and asked myself, what drives someone to want to ride a motorcycle? What catalyst in their life precipitates their desire to do something that in all likelihood they have been told there whole life "Are you crazy? Motorcycles are dangerous! You’re going to kill yourself!" I can still hear my mother’s voice echoing in my mind. Maybe it’s the idea of freedom. Maybe it is a little rebel streak. Maybe the sense of being a little on the edge is what appeals to them. Or maybe in some cases they have been on a dirt bike since they were old enough to throw a leg over that little 50cc machine of wonder. Truth is that the answer to that question is different for each of us. For me the answer to that question of why, is that the only time I can truly feel in the moment without distractions and have total focus is when I am in the saddle, helmet on and bars in hand.
Now, unlike driving a car that for almost all of us was always considered simply a right of passage when we were 16, to become a motorcyclist is a clear choice that we consciously and deliberately make.  I find this to be a particularly exciting question of the human spirit to be answered. Now I have been riding off an on since my early teens, but not seriously on the road till 1999. I myself did not take the MSF BRC course until 2011.  What is really interesting about that fact is that even though it took me 12 years to do it, I learned more in the 2 days with a rider coach, then perhaps I learned in 5 years of just putting around town, That point in and of itself was not lost on me, and indeed was quite a revelation for me. In the days and weeks following completing the course, I thought what a joy it would be to be able to share that same surge of knowledge, and rider enlightenment with others.  A year later an email arrived in my box from T.E.A.M Arizona, asking the question, “Do you want to be a Rider Coach”? And I thought “Yes” This is the opportunity I have been hoping for.  Now after spending the last several weeks with the T.E.A.M AZ Staff members Bill, Paul, Greg, Jack, Mary, and Kevin from San Diego, and the rest of the group of new Rider Coach Candidates, I have achieved the first part of my goal which was to get certified as an MSF BRC Rider Coach. Now I said the first part, because the real joy and challenges will come from spending time with the people coming to T.E.A.M for training who are not only making the choice to ride, but to learn how, in a professional, proven, and safe manner. To hear the stories why they are taking the class, to seeing their faces on the range, at that moment when their feelings of fear and apprehension give way to joy, and a smile washes over their face.  That will be the reward I seek. So in the coming months I hope to meet with more of my fellow Rider Coaches, and learn whatever I can from not only being more effective, but to hear the great stories I am sure you all have to share. My name is Don Nelson, and I am a new Rider Coach…. See you on the range….

Monday, June 18, 2012

Well, It is official, I have successfully completed the curriculum and testing process required, and now I am a newly minted, and freshly MSF Certified Rider Coach. During this process I have found through the repetition of practicing each and every exercise over and over while attempting to perfect demonstration rides, just how important the building of each skill is upon the other. The BRC (Basic Rider Course) is such a great way to get the basic core skills you need to successfully operate a motorcycle,  and set the cornerstone to build upon with further education,  I cannot recommend it enough to new riders. I am looking forward to teaching my first class this summer, and continuing to grow as a coach and bring the joy of riding to others. This is going to be a great experience! See you all on the range!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

...Training

Hello everyone out there. I have been away far too long from writing for a while and I do apologize for my absence. I have been busy with the day job, in addition to reading up and preparing to take the MSF Rider Coach Certification Program with T.E.A.M Arizona later this month. 
I am really excited to be able to participate in this session, and have the opportunity to begin training others whom are new to riding, or just coming back after some time away. I truly believe the experiences I will be engaged in will be as good for me as they will be for the participants in the BRC classes (Basic Riders Course) over the next several years. I don't know where this will lead me over time, but if it has to do with two wheeled motor vehicles, I will be truly happy indeed. I do believe rider education, at all level is not just a good idea, but is also a fun experience to undertake, and you always come away with something that can make your rides more fun, and safer while doing it.
If you have never taken a professionally led course in the past, whether it be an introductory course if you have never ridden before, or one of the more advanced classes like the Lee Parks Total Control clinic. I recommend you seek out your local training groups and give one a try. You just might find it is exactly what you need to get you to that next level in riding.  - Ride Safe Ride Soon


Wednesday, February 8, 2012

I-17 crash in Phoenix kills motorcyclist

A very sad event today Thoughts go out to the family..

From CBS News 5 here in Phoenix, the following..

By Phil Benson - email

PHOENIX (CBS5) -
A 38-year-old San Tan Valley man died Wednesday night when he lost control of his motorcycle on Interstate 17 and was run over by another vehicle, Arizona Department of Public Safety officers said.
It happened in the southbound lanes of I-17 near Glendale Avenue.
The victim, who has not been identified, was traveling above the speed limit and making rapid and abrupt lane changes, according to DPS spokesman Carrick Cook.
Cook said the motorcyclist, who was driving in the HOV lane, suddenly rode to the far right lane in one motion and lost control of his vehicle, Cook said.
Several vehicles collided to try to avoid hitting him, Cook said. "A third vehicle ran him over," Cook said.
"He put so many other people's lives in danger by his driving behavior, that this could have turned into a rollover crash, someone could have gone over the barrier wall, somebody else could have died," Cook said.



Be Careful out there people....