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Campaign revs up on motorcycle safety
DAVID BAUMAN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER San Bernardino police officer Dan Acosta, right, performs a traffic stop on a motorcyclist accused of a helmet violation on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014. 42 0 1
A Text Size BY BRIAN ROKOS The Press Enterprise
BY BRIAN ROKOS | STAFF WRITER | Published: February 10, 2014; 03:09 PM Former equestrian Elin Thomas, 65, likes to joke that she traded in a heartbeat horse for an iron horse.
Thomas is aware that her newest recreational ride — a touring motorcycle — is not as easily seen by drivers of four-wheel vehicles. So Thomas chose a red bike, she wears a red helmet and she hung “dangly things” from the handlebar grips to make her more noticeable.
“And I’m always driving defensively,” said Thomas, a Riverside resident. “As if I’m invisible.”
California Highway Patrol officers hope to see more riders like Thomas during their year-long enforcement and education campaign designed to reduce crashes and injuries. Officers plan to set up information booths at well-attended events and promise a highly publicized enforcement effort in the San Bernardino area in June.
Other Inland law-enforcement agencies plan periodic saturation patrols that will target motorcycle riders but also cite vehicle drivers who illegally get in riders’ way.
“We have to make sure we create a safer environment for these riders,” CHP Officer Steve Carapia said.
Crashes killed 139 riders in Riverside County and 156 in San Bernardino County from 2008 to 2012, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Per capita, Riverside had fewer fatalities than Los Angeles and San Francisco counties and San Bernardino had more.
In January, six people died in Inland motorcycle crashes, according to county coroner reports. Officials, however, said they are not seeing an increase in motorcycle wrecks.
CAUGHT IN A CAGE
Ten San Bernardino city traffic officers took to the streets Jan. 18 on a special patrol, looking for motorcycle violations. Sgts. Vicki Cervantes and David Green supervised from a police car and discussed motorcycle safety.
“There’s two kinds of riders — those that have gone down and those that will go down,” Cervantes said.
Therefore, they said, it is important to put protection ahead of style by wearing crash-resistant, reflective clothing and full helmets instead of the novelty half shells that some riders enjoy.
Officer Jose Castro pulled over a motorcyclist who had been lane splitting — which is legal — but who had also been drifting between lanes, cutting off vehicles. The rider was cited for an unsafe lane change.
“That and speeding are the two biggest violations,” Castro said.
Motorcycle riders and vehicle drivers place and share blame for collisions. Riders say drivers need to pay more attention; drivers say speeding riders unnerve them by materializing almost out of nowhere.
“Yes, there are idiots out there on motorcycles that make us look bad,” said Jim Bridges, site manager for Riverside Harley-Davidson.
He refers to cars as “cages” because they surround bikes on the road.
“The No. 1 thing,” he pleaded to drivers, is “be aware of us out there and pay attention.”
Bridges, 50, is leading a safety class Saturday, Feb. 8, for members of the Ladies of Chrome and Leather, the Inland chapter of the international Women in the Wind. Thomas, the 65-year-old rider, is the chapter vice president.
She admitted to lapses of concentration herself and said some younger riders aren’t careful.
“Testosterone gets in the way,” she said. “I ache for those kids who think riding a bike is the same as driving a car. There are no fender benders with motorcycles.”
Thomas and others recommend motorcycle safety courses. They are mandatory for anyone younger than 21 who wants a license. But older riders can get a license by passing a written Department of Motor Vehicles exam and showing riding skills in tests that don’t go beyond the streets around a DMV office.
Jason Geiger, 42, rides his motorcycle from Riverside to work in Buena Park. He said a CHP-approved safety course heightened his awareness of what to watch for.
Geiger just wishes drivers were more attentive. He sees them illegally holding cellphones to their ears every day.
One such driver changed the life of former Riverside resident Scott Shepherd, 49.
In 2010, Shepherd had fixed a flat tire on a pregnant woman’s car on Highway 91 near Serfas Club Drive. As he eased his motorcycle into the slow lane, a driver talking on her cellphone merged from the left lane to the offramp, striking him.
The impact threw Shepherd 30 feet. He still has three metal rods in his back and has difficulty bending and lifting.
“One person’s irresponsibility could have a long-term effect on someone else’s life,” Shepherd said.
Contact Brian Rokos at 951-368-9569 or brooks@pe.com
SAFETY TIPS
FOR MOTORCYCLE RIDERS
1. Ride within your skill level. Without practice, you might not be able to do maneuvers your friends can, or your motorcycle might be more powerful than you can handle.
2. Wear proper clothing. That includes reflective gear at night; a full, Department of Transportation-approved helmet rather than the German military-style half shell; and strong or heavyweight clothing that can protect you in a fall.
3. Practice defensive riding. Don’t assume other vehicles can see you. Aggressive riding, including going far faster than slowed traffic while lane splitting, can be dangerous.
4. Take a DMV-approved riding course. “It’s huge. It teaches you a lot of awareness of what to look for,” says Riverside resident Jason Geiger.
5. Brake evenly. About 75 percent of braking power comes from the front brake. Squeeze the front brake progressively and use the rear brake as well, says Jim Bridges, of Riverside Harley-Davidson.
FOR CAR DRIVERS
1. Avoid distractions that could cause you to not see motorcyclists. “My No. 1 advice for four-wheel drivers is to stay off of cellphones and pay attention to their surroundings,” former Riverside resident Scott Shepherd said.
2. Double check for motorcyclists. A bike can easily be hidden in a car’s blind spot. In addition to looking at mirrors, turn your head and look.
3. Don’t follow too closely. Motorcyclists often slow by downshifting or merely rolling off the throttle, thus not activating their brake light.
4. Don’t expect a motorcycle to dodge you. Maneuverability is one of a motorcycle's better characteristics, but not at faster speeds or in poor weather conditions.
5. Assume a motorcycle is closer than it appears. Because of its small size, a motorcycle may look farther away than it is. It may also be difficult to judge a motorcycle’s speed.
SOURCES: Motorcycle Safety Foundation, San Bernardino Police Department, interviews with motorcycle riders
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