Safety First! (RSS)

Saturday, November 29, 2008 8:24 PM

Harvest Reading the TA Way: What's In Your Library?

As Harvest 2008 wound down and the combine switched to picking dry-land corn, I found myself with a little more time on my hands between loads.  A gal can only listen to the radio for so long, and it is wise not to let the truckers or combine driver catch you napping... they become very resentful and cranky when they catch you taking advantage of a moment's leisure.  The trick is to appear busy at all times.  I keep a plethora of reading material handy in my lunch bag for just such occasions as this.  Usually it includes a newspaper or a magazine or two, something that can be dropped pronto the moment a truck arrives or the combine needs unloading.  This year, I decided to slip in a copy of GWTA's TA Way and the updated GWTA Bylaws. 

The TA Way is is a MUST read for GWTA chapter directors and recommended for all members of the organization.  It's a great way for new members to learn the overall scheme of things and to avoid re-inventing the wheel.  The manual is currently undergoing a revision so that it reflects the 2008 changes to the bylaws and other updates, but why wait... I had the time while the combine picked out a ditch-laden field.  It only took me 1.5 days of "mini breaks" to complete.  It's not rocket science, and reviewing the manual helps keep members, staff, and chapters all on the same road to Destination Friendship.

I also stuffed my bag with Flash Gordon M.D.'s Blood, Sweat & Gears this year.  It's one of those books that you can put down at a moment's notice and then pick up again for reading opportunities that must be kept brief.  The book is out of print and hard to find, but it caught my interest when the sequel Blood, Sweat & 2nd Gear was released and I heard the author (a rider with more than 30 years of road experience) interviewed in a Ride podcast on Blog Talk Radio.  Soon after that, I found the first book in a used bookstore -- a brand new copy, never even opened.  I learned a lot from that book and really enjoyed the author's sense of humor in dealing with the subject matter and his patients.

Here's a Sample of What I learned from Blood, Sweat & Gears:
  • Road Rash -- Timing is everything, attention to the injury within the first 30 minutes results in a vast improvement to the outcome.  Don't wait until you get home to treat it.  He has some neat tips.
  • First Aid Kits for Motorcyclists:  What to include -- my respect for zync oxide, gauze, chicken wire, Neosporin, and Betadine is renewed.
  • Proper Removal of Dirt  or Gravel From The Eye:  Again, don't wait until you get home.  Don't wipe your eye; don't rub with your finger...  A neat trick for getting a speck out from under the eyelid.
  • Evaluating Downed Riders For Injury:  Out in the boonies?  No trained medical help?  One step at a time.
  • Carpel Tunnel Tips:  Keep your wrists straight!
  • Roast Calf:  Treating burns  and when to get professional help.
  • 'Rhoids:  Your Gold Wing will outlast your body's ability to travel long distances in a single sitting.  Get fiber!
I found so much stuff in the first book, that I can't wait to dive into the sequel.  No wonder Sound Rider magazine considers both these books MUST reads for riders.  They're easy to read, funny, informative, and worth a gander.
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Friday, October 03, 2008 9:53 AM

A Local Rider Died This Week

This week, western Nebraska lost two motorcyclists in traffic accidents.  I don't know much about the North Platte accident, but the other accident hit closer to home.  This rider was not a member of our motorcycle chapter or our organization.  Most of us did not know him, but he was a member of a nearby community and the first two people to reach the accident scene were Frenchman Valley Riders.    

The ride was an informal gathering of locals on their way to a car show.  The rider had ridden at a younger age, recently bought a bike, and started riding again.  He preferred to ride at the back of the pack... I think he didn't want a group of bikes behind him, so that he and his bike could travel in a way that did not impede other riders.  No other vehicles were involved in the accident.  The rider died at the scene.  Only one bike in the group had a CB radio (most bikes continued on the ride without knowing what had happened until later), and no one will ever really know the cause of the accident.

A life lost is a stunning tragedy.  This tragedy has caused us to re-evaluate what we, as members of GWTA and the Frenchman Valley Riders, are doing right to minimize our risks on the road and what we might need to consider changing when we ride as a group:

Formation:  I think this incident made us all truly appreciate the roll of the Sweeper in our rides.  The Sweeper (aka Tailgunner, Tail End Charlie, and Back Door) is usually the most experienced rider in the group and is always the last bike in formation.  A good part of his/her job is to make sure everyone stays together, stays safe, and to communicate needed information to the ride leader.  The least experienced riders of the group are placed near the back, just ahead of the sweeper.

Communication:  We love our headsets!  Having a helmet with CB communications allows the group leader and the sweeper to keep the group intact, informed of safety concerns and rider needs.  Radio chit chat always takes second place to keeping the airways open and available for communication between ride leader and the sweeper.

Medical Information and First Aid Training:  We're working on that.  Riders need to keep their medical and contact info available in a place known by other members of the group.  Don't place your medical info inside your personal effects.  The availability of medical information or aid was not an issue in this accident, but many EMTs have been trained not to go through personal effects like purses and bike storage compartments.  More to come on this issue.

There's more to be learned, but I'm going to end this now with a prayer for the riders, their families and friends, and for those who assisted at the scene. 

Also, a big thank you to GWTA's rider education program, especially for the seminars, the skilled rider courses, and the Group Riding Guide.  Most of all, a big hug for our own sweeper.  Thank you for being back there on our rides and for taking on the job.  (We know it's not so fun or "free and easy" at times -- i.e. the accordion effect.)  Thank you for encouraging us to practice safe group riding skills even on days when our motorcycle group -- no, our motorcycle family -- is not so big in numbers.  Preparation counts.  It maximizes each and every ride's potential for becoming a fun day of Destination Friendship.  Next time out, remember to thank your sweeper as well as the ride leader.  Some days are tough.

Remember the Riders (www.remembertheriders.com) and Ride Safe.

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Wednesday, April 09, 2008 5:53 PM

Tornado Tips

My parents live in western Kentucky, near the Tennessee area which was recently hit hard by several tornadoes.  This week, they're dealing with severe weather again. Tornadoes are an all-together different monster for them. I can’t imagine building a house there without a basement or storm shelter.  At least on the plains of western Nebraska, we can see the tornadoes coming in the day time.  Most of the tornadoes in Kentucky appear out of nowhere and travel erratically due to the numerous hills and river valleys.

While taking a break from spring field work, I browsed an article on what to do if you’re ever caught on your bike and can’t find the usual shelter from a tornado (Wing World, May 2008, page 48).  The writer shared some good tips:

1)  NEVER try to outrun the tornado.  Their paths vary from less than 100 yards wide to sometimes a mile wide.  Not knowing the speed at which a tornado is traveling nor its width, you can easily get caught directly in its path.

2)  In open country, move away from the tornado’s path at right angles.  (Most tornadoes move from southwest to northeast.) 

3)  If you can’t escape an oncoming tornado:
a)  If you're on a 2 wheeler, get off, lay your bike down carefully on its side to reduce the wind force against your bike.  I  know, I know,…  but your bike can be replaced.  You and your co-rider cannot.
b)  Lie flat in the nearest ditch or gully.
c)  Never place the bike in a direct line between the storm and yourself — your bike could be blown over to the ditch or low place in which you are lying and crush you.
Last year, RR and I were caught in the path of a severe storm while scouting a Mystery Ride with 2 other Frenchman Valley Riders.  Luckily, we’d seen it coming.  After much debate over our options by the men, to the point that the women threw up their hands and said “we’re putting on our rain suits!!!”, we were able to find shelter in a nearby park's covered pavilion.  As the storm got closer and the sky turned an odd variety of colors, a local couple loaded us into their van, shared their home, and cooked us a hot meal while we waited out the deafening sheets of rain, hail, vicious lightning, and swirling winds.  They even offered to put us up for the night!  That’s what I call Destination Friendship!! 

My point is:  Your riding day may begin like ours did with a beautiful, no-rain-suit-needed forecast, but this is Nebraska.  You never know when tips like these might come in handy.

PS:  Yes indeed, the men were quick to point out to the ladies that we really hadn't needed our rain suits after all.
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