Originally Posted by Beemervet

That's bullsshit. It's more about inexperience than age.

Originally Posted by arlinsg

No one has mentioned our aging society. It's a lot more likely that someone that is between 50 and 70 to have an medical emergency.

Originally Posted by Navyrep1

Big Navy mandates that we complete the Basic Rider Course (BRC) before being allowed to operate a motorcycle on any base and by common separate order that requirement extends to off-base as well. Recently, they added the requirement that every three years the rider must complete refresher training in the form of Basic Rider Course(BRC), Military Sportbike Rider Course(MSRC), or the Experienced Rider Course(ERC) as applicabale to the bike and experience/comfort level. They also mandate specific gear to be worn while operating a motorcycle...full sleeves, full finger gloves, DOT/Snell approved helmet, long pants, boots over the ankles, and shatter resistant eye protection. High visibility outer garment for day and reflective outergarment at night are not currently mandatory but HIGHLY encouraged. We take motorcycle safety very seriously so we train to and manage that expectation. We deal with enough hazardous situations on the job, no sense dropping our guard while off-duty. Military riders are not immune from accidents or buffoonery, so some do get injured and some do die every year. However, the per capita fatality rate amongst military riders as compared to the general population is a very small fraction of the non-military riding public. I've been riding about 35 years which includes all of my time on active duty plus many years before I joined. Before it became mandatory, I and many like minded military riders took the ERC at regular intervals just as a little refresher. Can't remember specifically but I've taken the ERC at least five times over the past 20 or so years. Every single time I've picked up a new skill or honed an old one. At the very least, it's focused time to actually slow down and think about riding skills.

Some may not like the idea of mandated rider training and government involvement, I get it. But I for one am extremely thankful that my shipmates and I are subject to these regulations. I know for a fact, both by statistics and by personal experience, that mandated training saves lives and makes us better/safer riders. I've been to enough funerals. If a mandated rider course prevents even one funeral, it's worth the "governmental involvment" in my humble opinion.

Originally Posted by Gonzy

also target fixation

Originally Posted by beary

The fix for the alcohol statistic is obvious, but how can we fix single vehicle accidents?

Originally Posted by Gliden

Guys how many times did we say holy **** to ourselves?
The lady or man who drifts over.
The dumb fuc who cuts us off then hits the brakes cause he came over too fast?
The deer that's grazing on the side of the road while were flying by at 70 mph?
We run these risks every ride.
Getting tee boned or backing out of driveways or blind corners.
The only thing I can say is keep a constant scan all over as you ride. The minute you go to take your eyes off the road and off your mirrors are the worst times.
Just do your best...live to enjoy the ride....and to make it home safe so you can ride again. Enjoy....