Mass bike inspection at Fort Lee sets tone for riding season

By Patrick BuffettMarch 13, 2014

Bike inspection
Sgt. 1st Class Charles Smith, a small group leader at the Army Logistics University, conducts a safety inspection during a motorcycle mentorship event Monday in front of ALU. In preparation for the 2014 riding season, all motorcycles belonging to ALU... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT LEE, Va. (March 13, 2014) -- "This is one area where you can't take chances," said Maj. Michael Shaw, head of the motorcycle mentorship program at Fort Lee's Army Logistics University.

"The start of the riding season is a time of excitement, especially among first-timers," he continued. "A lot of them are itching to get out there on the road; they're feeling that need for speed. So, now is really the best time to grab their attention and slow them down a little bit. Let's get them thinking about proper maintenance and safety procedures first."

Shaw was describing the importance of a mass motorcycle inspection ALU hosted on Monday in a parking lot in front of the university. The event was supported by the 71st Transportation Battalion, the parent unit for most of the students at the military school.

More than a dozen bikes were scrutinized by a swarm of checklist-toting noncommissioned officers led by Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Pettway from the Logistics Noncommissioned Officers Academy. The inspection team closely examined tires, gauges, levers, fluid levels and more.

"Programs like this are really making a difference," Shaw noted. "The emphasis of safety is big part of it, no doubt, but there's also that element of showing that you care; that you're looking out for your battle buddy, which in this case is one motorcycle rider in uniform looking out for another one."

Current safety statistics support that notion. Motorcycle fatalities are down 13 percent across the Army compared to last fiscal year, which also saw a sizeable decline of 30 percent from 2012 figures. In the words of Brig. Gen. Timothy J. Edens, director of Army Safety, "Caring leaders made this happen."

The motorcycle mentorship program at ALU started three years ago.

"I think it helps when you give motorcycle riders extra sets of eyes while looking at a potential problem," Shaw said. "Is your bike ready for the road after it has sat in your garage all winter? How is that modification you made to your bike going to change its performance? What is the difference between a crotch-rocket and a road cruiser? I believe the mentorship program is the right way to find answers to a lot of questions. It's shared knowledge and, yes, a bit of oversight to make sure our riders know that their safety is our No. 1 priority."

Second Lt. Chad Judkins, a Quartermaster Basic Officer Leader Course student awaiting the start date of his class, was among those standing on the sidelines watching the motorcycle inspection. As a future Army leader, he said, he's very much aware of the importance of the mentorship program and knows that he will use it one day to keep his Soldiers thinking of motorcycle safety.

"I've experienced the results of a motorcycle accident in which the driver wasn't wearing the proper safety gear," Judkins said. "He hit the road and it tore the skin off the upper part of his body. That's the sort of thing that makes you realize how important this is."

Also among the onlookers was Lt. Col. Kevin Holton, 71st Transportation Battalion commander. "I think this sets the right tone, and the timing is perfect because the riding season is just getting started," he said. "The message that should be loud and clear today is stop and think before you become a statistic. As a commander, I can tell you that nothing is more important than that."