JOE J. BAYNE
Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Imagine spending the day with friends, just hanging out and enjoying life. As the party winds down and people slowly start filtering out and heading home, your best friend walks up and thanks you and your family for hosting such a great gathering. As he heads out the door, he turns and says, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sadly, these are the last words you’ll ever hear from this great friend, brother, son, Soldier and warrior.

Sometimes there are no second chances. You can’t un-drink a beer or take back the throttle on your bike to prevent that accident. It is too late for, “I should have done this or that.” And for you, the friend, the wondering will always be there. “What if I would have just done this or that,” will run through your mind for the rest of your life.

Soldiers live by the Soldier’s Creed, but without an enemy force in front of us, we sometimes become our own worst enemy. The fog of war may still cloud our minds and judgment. The thrill of carrying an M4 carbine rifle and 9 mm Berretta is gone, as is the rush of not knowing what lurks around the next corner. To fill this thrill-seeking void in our lives we need an outlet. For adventurous types, it could be skydiving. For others it might be weightlifting, snowboarding or rock climbing.

Some Soldiers, however, have a need for speed and believe the best way to satisfy it is to buy a motorcycle. With a load of deployment money burning a hole in their pockets as they settle back into what they perceive as a boring life — no challenge, no risk, no thrill — they head straight to the dealership. But what kind of bike to buy … a Harley Davidson, a Kawasaki Ninja 600, maybe even the 1100, or a Suzuki Hayabusa GSXR 1300, the world’s fastest production sport bike? It doesn’t matter that they have never ridden a motorcycle before. They only care that it’s fast and fun.

The thinking centers on, “Today I will get a motorcycle and change the course of my life forever. This is going to be the ticket. I survived a year of combat; therefore, this thrill is going be easy. I am in control.” But, like all risky undertakings, motorcycle riding can take a toll.

According to statistics from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center, 28 Soldiers died in motorcycle accidents in fiscal 2017. As of March 25, nine Soldiers have died in motorcycle accidents in fiscal 2018. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports nearly 5,000 motorcycle fatalities in the United States in 2016, the most recent year of stats.

The Army is working to reduce the number of motorcycle injuries and fatalities among Soldiers, families and civilians with policies that supersede all current state laws. The minimum requirements are a current state driver’s license with motorcycle endorsement and a current state registration and insurance. Also required is a Motorcycle Safety Foundation card showing completion of the Basic RiderCourse. The Advanced RiderCourse must be completed within one year of completing the BRC.

Soldiers are required to wear all personal protective equipment, which includes, at a minimum, over-the-ankle boots, full-length pants, long-sleeved shirt and a U.S. Department of Transportation-approved helmet, ANSI-approved eyewear and full-finger gloves. The Army has also implemented the Motorcycle Mentorship Program Armywide to assist younger and less-experienced riders to partner with older and more-experienced riders.

The goal of these policies is to protect riders in the event of an accident, ensure Soldiers are trained to handle a motorcycle and assist younger Soldiers, who are prone to risk taking, to ride for enjoyment and help reduce their need for speed. Motorcycle riding is inherently dangerous and the key to success is to change the mindset of the rider from risk-taking speed demon to a defensive driver who can keep complete situational awareness and think three to four moves ahead of the surrounding traffic.

A Soldier’s life lost not only affects the unit’s combat readiness; it affects the morale of the organization, as well as the friends and the family of the deceased Soldier. Changing the attitudes and decisions of our young warfighters is the first step in changing the dynamics of our motorcyclists.

Don’t be the Soldier or the friend who has to ask the question, “What if?” Don’t live the rest of your life with the last memory of your friend saying, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sometimes, tomorrow never comes. Live today like it is your last. You can never change the past, but you can make the right choices that will lead to a better tomorrow. The time is now to change these careless attitudes and implement safety into everyday life. Live to ride and ride to live.