CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 4 MICHAEL ECKHARDT
B Troop, 1st Squadron, 17th Calvary Regiment
Simmons Army Airfield
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
It was a beautiful, sunny Hawaiian day with the thermometer comfortably resting in the high 80s — perfect weather for a motorcycle ride along Oahu’s North Shore. After a quick check of my trusty steed, a new Suzuki GSX-R1000, I donned my personal protective equipment and headed for the gate.
I had recently graduated from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Experienced RiderCourse and considered myself a competent rider. I’d been riding since I was 4 years old, including competing in professional motocross racing since high school. I’d also been riding sport bikes for several years and felt confident in my skills.
As I rode down Kamehameha Highway toward Haleiwa that Saturday morning, I was amazed at the number of tourists on the road. I thought about the upcoming race at the Kahuku motocross track that weekend. At the same time, I was reminding myself to stay alert to the dangers along my route that morning.
As I approached an intersection, I saw I had the green light and a clear road around the sweeping right-hand turn. While there were cars stopped on the left side of the intersection, I wasn’t concerned. After all, I had the green light. I wasn’t prepared when, at the worst possible moment, a white van crossed the road and pulled into my lane.
I knew I couldn’t stop in time, so I instinctively grabbed a handful of front brake and started looking for maneuver options, but they were limited. There was no road shoulder — only a pineapple field to my right. Going into it would ensure a crash, so that wasn’t a good option.
I guided my bike to the left in hopes of passing the van when, to my horror, I saw a car in the oncoming lane. It was too late to go to the right, so I began contemplating how a mouthful of that van would taste. Fortunately, the oncoming car suddenly drove into a ditch on its side of the road, allowing me to thread the needle and pass the van on the left.
I immediately pulled over. I was shaking as I removed my helmet. The fact I’d narrowly missed a very bad crash hadn’t escaped me. I suddenly no longer felt like riding. As I sat there regaining my composure, I began evaluating what had happened and where I’d gone wrong. I realized I’d made a number of mistakes.
First, although I was familiar with the road and knew that intersection could be dangerous, I didn’t give it the respect it deserved. Second, I was going too fast for the road and the conditions. The posted speed limit was 55 mph, but I was going closer to 65 mph when the van pulled out. Third, I was overconfident about my abilities. As it turned out, despite my experience in motocross racing, very little of what I’d learned on the track translated to the street. Lastly, I’d overestimated my bike’s capabilities. When the van pulled out in front of me, not even the GSX-R’s amazing braking capability could stop me in time. Complacency, too much speed and overconfidence in myself and my bike left me without options when I needed them most.
I learned a lifetime of lessons in that fraction of a second. I learned to never let the deceptive calm of a beautiful day blind me to the risks while riding. I learned that the moment you stop looking for the risks, they’ll start looking for you.