“They survived the combat, came back and – within two months – died on a motorcycle”

The Army is training soldiers in motorcycle safety to curb the high number of cycle fatalities that have occurred since 2005.  An Army spokesperson said that “motorcycles are a great tool to release adrenaline” and that one possible reason for the fatalities is the “aggressive soldier mind-set”.    First of all, motor vehicles shouldn’t be tools to “release adrenaline”.  Second, it seems that the “aggressive soldier mind-set” point to a deeper pathology within military culture and are symptomatic of the human costs of war.   The Army should look into the death that occurs inside soldiers who experience combat. This may be the real cause of many of the motorcycle fatalities.

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Soldiers learn cycling safety

By Darin Moriki

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 20, 2009

About 250 soldiers are participating in a supplemental motorcycle training program instituted because there have been 16 Army cycle fatalities since 2005.

“Many of them were killed soon after returning from combat,” said Bill Maxwell, U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii transportation safety manager. “They survived the combat, came back, and – within two months – died on a motorcycle. We want to reverse that trend by providing them every bit of education that we possibly can.”

Maxwell said the Army pilot program was adopted from the Marines after it was found that “they have been having some positive results.” He explained that the free program is essential for motorcycle riders in light of the high number of Army motorcycle deaths.

One possible reason for the fatalities is the “aggressive soldier mind-set” that some may have, Maxwell said.

“We prepare them for combat, they go into a very high-stress situation, and they come back here,” Maxwell explained. “Motorcycles are a great tool to release adrenaline. Unfortunately, we have quite a bad history with motorcycles.”

The Honolulu Police Department reported that 12 of the 38 traffic fatalities this year involved motorcycles. Riders were wearing helmets in only six cases.

For a soldier to operate a bike on military installations, he or she must go through a basic and experienced rider course offered through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. However, Maxwell said that these courses “provide the basic skills” and are “limited in size.”

“What we wanted to do here is expand the area and bring the speed up to get them a little bit closer to the operational speeds that they encounter out there on the road,” Maxwell said.

The training program, which began Monday at Wheeler Army Airfield, covers eight half-day courses that allow smaller groups of about 25 people.

The Los Angeles-based California Superbike School said the course is meant to boost a rider’s confidence with conditions that they may experience on the road.

“If the rider is unsure of himself, he’s going to panic,” said California Superbike School instructor and project manager Dylan Code. “What we want to make is a confident rider at this point.”

Each course included 30 minutes of classroom instruction before riders were taken out on an obstacle course. It was on the obstacle course that the real instruction began, where instructors – stationed at three checkpoints on various corners of the course – corrected mistakes that a rider made.

Many of the soldiers who attended the motorcycle training course left believing that they were more informed.

“The fundamentals that I learn here can be something that I can use out there on the streets,” said Cpl. Tyler Bridgeman, who has been riding about seven years. “This is one of the best courses that I have been to.”

“I left with a little bit more knowledge, but the knowledge that I left with was extremely important,” said Lt. Col. Rob Howe, who has been riding for 28 years. “I don’t know what I don’t know, but they told me what I needed to know.”

Source: http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20090820_Soldiers_learn_cycling_safety.html