OFF THE WIRE
Recently I read an article where actor Ashton Kutcher talked about a term he coined “thrash”. He said that thrash, while sometimes uncomfortable, is necessary to bring about change. He likened thrash to the turbulence created when a propeller churns water. A boat in water will lazily drift along with the current and is unlikely to take you where you want to go. Thrash, on the other hand, creates momentum. Of course the boat needs to be steered and you need to know what direction you are going but thrash is necessary for change to effectively take place.
Accident Scene Management, Inc. (ASMI) recently created thrash with their new Road Guardian (RG) Program. RGs is a new, more comprehensive way of looking at motorcycle safety. So why rock the boat? Motorcycle fatalities continue to rise while car related deaths continue to decrease. The reasons for this are tossed around like a ship at sea but one this is for sure, the negative attention is not good for motorcycling! Solutions that have been proposed by government agencies and the general public have ranged from mandatory apparel to outlawing motorcycles all together! The Road Guardian Program is an appeal to motorcyclists and to the motorcycle industry to get involved in reducing injuries and fatalities through education and awareness. It is in our own best interest to personally do everything we can to reduce injuries and fatalities.
Not only does ASMI wish to broaden the term “motorcycle safety” to mean more than rider education and apparel but we want to create a culture of life long learning for motorcyclists. In order to do this we created a program to encourage and reward people who choose to get involved by providing:
· Resources
· Rewards
· Recognition
Resources: As we looked at organizing “motorcycle safety” we turned to a document that was developed in 1999 called the National Agenda for Motorcycle Safety (NAMS). NAMS was funded by NHTSA and created over a two year period by a team of researchers who visited every state in the USA to interview people in each state who were considered stakeholders re: what they were doing for motorcycle safety and what they thought was important. The result was a document that contains six educational topics: Rider Education, Apparel, Motorist Awareness (conspicuity), Anti-impaired Riding, Laws/Govt. & First Response. Next, our RG volunteer researchers scoured the web looking for programs in each of these six areas in every state. Starting with 17 million resources they had a daunting task. The end result was a map of the USA with 6 categories. Some states have resources in all areas and many do not. This means that either there is room for improvement in educational offerings in that state or that we (RGs) missed a resource. Missing resources are easily corrected by the website visitor who simply recommends a resource. While we do not claim to have found every resource available, we can confidently say that we have the most organized and comprehensive motorcycle safety resource on the web!
Additional resources were created by developing conferences called “Biker’s Betterment Conferences” or BBCs. Our first BBC was held in Chicago March 26-27, 2010 and was a great success! 140 people attended from 19 states. National experts spoke on all 6 safety topics.
Rewards: ASMI trained students are eligible to join the annual membership Road Guardian Program. The RG member is entitled to secure access to virtually another website! In that secure area the member will find rewards for taking the time to get trained. Discounts on additional training as well as every day discounts, discounts on events, ride planners, personal safety and ride logs and access to RG merchandise are all available. 1300 discounts are currently offered with that number continuing to grow as we add new partners. $2500.00 of accidental death and disability insurance is also free to RG members and along with that a discount medical card for additional benefits through American Life.
Recognition: RG members receive a patch as part of their membership but those who go the extra mile and meet certain criteria can become a “certified” Road Guardian (CRG)! This achievement is thought of as being similar to an Iron Butt in Education. CRGs have to submit documentation proving that they are currently certified in ASMI basic, ASMI advanced and CPR. They must also show proof of M endorsement on their driver’s license and completion of a rider education class.
If you are thinking, WOW, this is HUGE!!! We agree. We wanted to create thrash, momentum that would change the way we see motorcycle safety. We hope that all motorcyclists will sit up and take notice. We can provide the resources and incentives but it is up to each and every motorcyclist who cares about either their sport or their way of life to reduce injuries and fatalities through education.
Visit: www.roadguardians.org or www.accidentscene.org
