Risk Management Magazine

p>Every environment has its hazards, and a route recon is an effective tool to identify them. When I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s Basic RiderCourse, my instructors told me to apply this same practice before riding an unknown route. Two events opened my eyes to the importance of that advice.

Private motor vehicle safety is a topic that often doesn’t get the attention it deserves. It might be a small part of a final formation briefing or unit PMV inspections, but rarely does it garner the focus of events such as range operations or tactical convoys.

While in Afghanistan, every Thursday night I would get together with three friends and watch “Sons of Anarchy,” a television show about the exploits of an outlaw motorcycle gang. After about six months of watching, we decided we all needed to buy motorcycles when we returned home.