Risk Management Magazine

When was the last time you checked the air pressure in your motorcycle’s tires? Do you even remember? Every year, riders are injured or killed in crashes caused by underinflated or neglected tires.

It was August in Tikrit, Iraq, and I was assigned to C Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment (Air Ambulance). The unit’s deployment had been extended from 12 to 15 months and morale was dim — at best. Eventually, though, a light at the end of the tunnel appeared.

I was about 500 feet from the exit for Fort Belvoir, riding in the right lane on a poorly lit section of the road. I was just about home free when I suddenly saw a gray mass in front of me.