Fourth Air Force commander leads motorcycle safety ride

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Zach Anderson
  • Fourth Air Force Public Affairs
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIF. --  The rumble of powerful engines filled the afternoon air as ten motorcycles thundered their way through the Inland Empire. Riders dressed in camouflaged fatigues wound their way through small communities and down desert highways in a staggered formation, drawing stares from motorist and pedestrians alike.

But this was no outlaw motorcycle gang looking to cause trouble. Instead, it was a group of Airmen from March Air Reserve Base, Calif., taking their motorcycle safety training to the streets to raise awareness of the importance of safe motorcycle practices.

Maj. Gen. Eric W. Crabtree, Fourth Air Force commander, lead the first-ever Fourth Air Force safety ride, which was a way to take the typical safety briefing out of the classroom environment. The goal was to provide Airmen who ride motorcycles the opportunity to learn from each other and gain some "on-the-road" knowledge.

"We've evolved beyond the basic safety briefings of 'be careful when you ride a motorcycle' to the point where we need to look at more advanced techniques, advanced schools and opportunities to share stories and get practical experience like we did today," the general said.

The need for the safety ride like this can't be questioned, said Chief Master Sgt. Dennis Pearson, Fourth Air Force ground safety chief.

"Motorcycle safety is one of our biggest challenges," Chief Pearson said. "Many times we have supervisors who are not riders trying to instruct proper safety practices to those who do ride, but they don't really have a grasp of the skills and abilities required to ride safely. By getting a group of riders together like this, you can do mentoring and work with each other on practical safety skills." According to Chief Pearson, the numbers for the Air Force show an overall increase in motorcycle incidents, with more than 100 reported in 2010 alone, including five fatalities. General Crabtree said that was a primary reason for conducting the ride.

"Motorcycle fatalities across the Air Force are high, and the key to bringing that number down is educating people with the motorcycle safety program," said General Crabtree. "That's why we do the briefings, and then we get a chance to actually go out and do some on-the-spot riding. It gives us a chance to watch other riders and learn from their experiences."

The ride began with General Crabtree and Chief Pearson giving the riders a short  briefing on safety procedures as well as an overview of the ride route. Then, riders donned the proper safety equipment, did a final safety check of their bikes, fired up the engines, and headed out on the highway. General Crabtree said the approximately 30-mile ride served as a real-world classroom.

"A key to motorcycle safety is making people realize what the hazards are, getting used to the local area and seeing what the traffic patterns are like. A ride like today exposes people to all those different things. We saw different types of terrain; we saw the traffic in local neighborhoods as well as on the freeways. We can talk about that when we get back and hopefully learn from that experience. That is a key to this entire program and it's key to reducing the number of fatalities we see," General Crabtree said.

With more than 30 years of experience riding motorcycles, General Crabtree believes one of the most important safety tips for riders is to expect the unexpected.

"It's important to be careful and to ride defensively. Always assume the other person doesn't see you. If you keep that mindset, you'll be ready if something happens. A key to safe motorcycle riding is to be very defensive and being ready for anything that might happen out there."

Of course, the purpose of safety training is to allow those who ride motorcycles to enjoy their hobby safely. Chief Pearson said the point of riding a motorcycle is to have fun, and that's what this training is all about.

"After a stressful day at work, there is nothing better than jumping on the bike and riding home. It really gives you time to relax. The important thing is to be able to do that in a safe manner."

The safety riders all reported the trip was not only informative, but enjoyable as well.

"It was a lot of fun," said General Crabtree. "We got some very good camaraderie out of it, and we got to see each other's motorcycles, which is always fun! We just had a very good day overall.