Motorcycle Safety at the Pentagon

It’s not IF you’ll go down, it’s WHEN.

It’s an old adage—one talking about motorcycle riders and crashing—and it’s true. Every motorcyclist has had an accident, whether it be merely dropping the bike (literally dropping it on the ground), or laying it down (also known as “totally crashing” it), and if they haven’t had an accident, they will. The simple fact is motorcycles are dangerous.

The Pentagon hosted a Motorcycle Safety Event in their North Parking Lot, complete with safety vendors, demonstrators, and the obligatory free doughnuts. The Pentagon Police, led by Sgt. Michael Ramsey, demonstrated tight riding, and police from the Pentagon Police Force and Arlington Police Force wowed the crowd by conducting extraordinarily tight 360* rotations and side by side riding— quite a feat when you take into account that the police were riding Harley-Davidson Electra Glides and they weigh over a half ton.

Present were representatives from many safety foundations, notably Total Control and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF). The MSF offers courses nationwide for both novice riders and experienced riders. Total Control is an advanced riding clinic designed for the rider who already “knows how to ride” but wants to learn how to ride more safely.

Two vendors were exceptional standouts. Simulator Systems International was present with their motorcycle simulator, and even experienced riders were trying it out. Taking full advantage of the latest technology, the simulator used lifelike video-screens, as the “motorcycle” vibrated and moved side to side while “riding.” At the same time, it didn’t respond like an actual motorcycle, and therefore was a bit difficult to ride. Gamers did not mind though—the simulator still proved to be fun in a life-like video game sort of way.

The other standout vendor was Impact Jackets. When a motorcyclist is in an accident, they are thrown from their bikes either onto the ground or a into a vehicle with no protection other than their clothing and, hopefully, a DOT helmet. It is possible to be killed or seriously injured even at a low rate of speed from a motorcycle accident. Airbags, which are lifesavers in vehicles, are not usable on motorcycles. The Impact Jacket provides instead a motorcycle airbag jacket. If the rider is ejected from the bike at a high rate of speed, a cable deploys the airbags and inflates the jacket, complete with a neck support pillow.