2. Track the actual number of motorcyclists in the navy to ensure that statistics are normalized. I recently received a statistic that 21(at that time) motorcycle fatalities occurred so far this year. I wondered if there were more or less motorcyclists in the Navy this year compared with last year and the years before. I was unable to obtain this information from the Naval Safety Center. This information is critical because if the number of riders doubled this year 21 might not be an increase, conversely if the number of riders is half that of last year the problem is more serious than it seems.

3. Reduce the number of motorcyclists. One of the most valuable steps in saving motorcyclist lives is to reduce the number of motorcyclists. Our culture promotes motorcycling by implying that you can motorcycle safely. The more motorcyclists the more fatalities. By providing training, waiving license requirements, and building networks among motorcycle riders we are in fact, encouraging and facilitating motorcycling or making it easy. My critics would say quickly that they do not “encourage motorcycling”, if this is true what is the attrition rate for motorcycle training courses? When was the last time an instructor shared statistics from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration like the one below which shows that motorcycling is (in 2001) 26 times more likely to die in a crash on a motorcycle than an automobile driver.

“ Exposure, measured in terms of vehicle miles of travel (VMT) in 2001, shows that motorcyclists were about 26 times as likely to die in a crash than someone riding in a passenger car, and are 5 times as likely to be injured. This is a steep increase from 1997, when motorcyclists were 14 times as likely to die in a crash than someone riding in a passenger car.” --NHTSA

4. Motorcycling is a high-risk sport and is not for everyone, so openly discourage it. Everyone has a right to ride a motorcycle, right? Doesn’t everyone have a right to participate in any extreme sport, for example, scuba diving or sky diving, but that does not mean the Navy should pay to train sailors to do it, especially when civilian courses are available. The wasted expense involved in military motorcycle training is incredible. The stricter the regulations regarding motorcycling, and the more hassle involved riding on bases in the Navy the fewer sailors that will ride. Fewer riders equal fewer fatalities. I suspect that this is how motorcycle training began in the Navy, someone high up thought that if they made it tough to ride i.e. require training, riding equipment, and additional restrictions; fewer people would ride. Once again, fewer riders equal fewer fatalities. I further speculate that COs wanting to accept responsibility and follow orders interpreted that to mean that they were obligated to train sailors. Training encouraged riding directly or indirectly so more military members have died. As the number of riders and the number of fatalities increased, the Navy created a program and funded motorcycle training thinking that they would make a substantial impact in the fatality rate.

5. Training does not make you safer. Training makes you more skillful, but no safer. Why not? Well, some of the most skillful riders, who have had many hours of training and experience, have the most accidents because they accept more risk. Motorcycle racers at the track; a controlled environment, with some of the best “safety” equipment money can buy, and more experience than 2 or 3 average riders, crash far more often than the average rider, sometimes they even die. Why? Because they accept more risk. Skillful trained riders accept more risk, and are no safer than an unskilled rider who accepts much less risk.

6. Stop providing license waivers upon completion of training. Repeating myself because this should the first and most important start. The greatest unnecessary risk is an unskilled rider who thinks they have the skill of a trained, rider. With the current training new motorcyclists receive; they are not required to take the test at the DMV. With as little as 15 hours of training, they can get their unrestricted license and feel skilled. The problem is based on their ability to get a license they assume they are as skilled as any motorcyclist and in fact more skilled because they got training. When in fact they probably face the most risk their first 6-12 months.

These steps will not be popular and require great commitment from naval leaders especially those who ride and disagree with them. These steps admittedly are my opinion based on my experience. However, these steps, whether we accept them or not, absolutely will reduce fatalities on motorcycles.