Risk Management Magazine

I began riding motorcycles at the age of 12. That was 28 years and 15 motorcycles ago. I have always considered myself an experienced and safe rider because of the time I’ve invested in motorcycles. That remained my attitude until my last Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) training course, where I learned I wasn’t as skilled as I previously thought.

I was flat on my back on the basement floor when I heard my wife’s voice from upstairs saying, “What did you do?” Not wanting to worry her, I lied and replied, “Nothing!” She soon knew the truth, though, when I slunk upstairs to the breaker box and started flipping switches — again.

I could feel my SUV pulling to the right as the road noise grew louder. Because my vehicle was less than a year old, my supervisor gave it only a quick inspection before I took off. That’s not to say we pencil-whipped it, but we definitely didn’t look all that hard for problems.