Marines, Soldiers ride for safety

By Damien SalasOctober 17, 2014

Marines, Soldiers ride for safety
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members from the National Capital Region participate in a motorcycle safety ride Oct. 9 to promote safe riding practices for bikers in the military community. The ride started on the Henderson Hall portion of the joint base and ended at Chanc... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Marines, Soldiers ride for safety
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members from the National Capital Region participate in a motorcycle safety ride Oct. 9 to promote safe riding practices for bikers in the military community. The ride started on the Henderson Hall portion of the joint base and ended at Chanc... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Marines, Soldiers ride for safety
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members from the National Capital Region participate in a motorcycle safety ride Oct. 9 to promote safe riding practices for bikers in the military community. The ride started on the Henderson Hall portion of the joint base and ended at Chanc... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Marines, Soldiers ride for safety
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Service members from the National Capital Region participate in a motorcycle safety ride Oct. 9 to promote safe riding practices for bikers in the military community. The ride started on the Henderson Hall portion of the joint base and ended at Chanc... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Soldiers and Marines from the National Capital Region participated in a motorcycle safety ride Oct. 9 to promote camaraderie amongst seasoned and new riders. The ride began on the Henderson Hall portion of the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall and ended at Chancellorsville Battlefield in Fredericksburg, Va.

"We are here to get some of the experienced riders to get linked up with the new riders," said Sgt. 1st Class Jackie Sims, National Guard Bureau. "Pairing up old with new riders ensures new riders get started in the right way, and also reaffirms the proper operating procedures of the motorcycles from experienced riders."

According to Sims, riding motorcycles is a dangerous sport, and the only way to prevent accidents is for commanders to allow more safety rides.

"We need more of these," said Sims. "Commanders shy away from these types of groups because they think Soldiers are being lazy and trying to get off of work or because they don't ride themselves."

Between 1999 and 2010, the leading cause of death among service members was motorcycle-related accidents, according to the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, Medical Surveillance Monthly Report.

In 2012, the number of motor vehicle accidents declined to its lowest level, but motorcycle-related fatalities continue to be the leading cause of death, according to the report.

"We are trying to mitigate risk involved in riding motorcycles in the National Capital Region," said 1st Lt. Shane Cooli. "Ultimately, our goal is to prevent fatalities through interactive, collaborative shared knowledge and shared riding experience between novice riders and those who have ridden for quite some time."

The Marine Corps is revamping its current motorcycle safety program which is detailed in Marine Corps Order 5100.19F. Beta testing for the new program begins in spring 2015 in Quantico, Va., according to Cooli.

"What the Marine Corps is trying to do is provide techniques and procedures for safe operation, breaking and cornering in real life speeds," said Cooli. "The current program, which the Corps provides through the motorcycle safety foundation, you only go up to about 25 miles per hour. Our service members need to know how to stop and corner at speeds 55 and up, because those are the speeds we are at most often."