A Crash Course                  
by MMR

“On April 23, I had the pleasure of attending the Accident Scene Management course put on by Gail Riley RN/ OEC Technician, and David Riley, First Responder. My initial thought was this was going to be a long day. Boy was I surprised to see the level of professionalism they brought to the classroom and how fast time flew by. Both instructors are riders themselves and this lends a lot of credence to their teaching skills and effective communicating to the class. We had excellent videos and comparable handouts.

In my opinion, the hands on teamwork in treating simulated accident scenes was an invaluable experience. Our class broke off into two teams and practiced the correct procedure for helmet removal if necessary and the “whys” for helmet removal. Also covered in-depth was rescue breathing, and neck & spine immobilization just to name a few of the biggies. Certainly I cannot touch on all of the bases of a 7-hour course in a few paragraphs. I certainly hope that we never have to use these valuable life saving skills, but certainly 17 members of the MMR have increased their knowledge base just in case. Hopefully this course will be offered again in the future and I highly recommend it. I'm already to sign up for the advanced course.” President - Deane Laitinen

“Gail and I both felt that we would have done more damage trying to help at a crash if we had not taken this course. It's good to know that the people you're riding with can help you if there is a problem. I'd like to see everyone take this course, then most of it will probably be remembered when we need it to be used.” Terry Quinn

“I thought the class was very informative and well done. I enjoyed the instructors very much. Learning the proper method of full face helmet removal, in a case of no breathing, was the most informative for me, especially with the possibility of head and spinal injury being increased with improper procedures.” Clem Walsh

“The information and hands on parts of the class were exceptional. I would recommend this to everyone. It should be a "must" for all motorcycle riders.” Andy Staten

“The helmet removal, body roll, and spine immobilization were all new to me and could prove a real lifesaver. Hope I never have to use any of them. Traffic management was common sense, but that is in such short supply it was good to review it. All in all well worth the time and money!   Tom Samuelson

“I wanted to thank you for the opportunity to attend such an informative class. The instructors were well versed in all areas of the topics we covered and went out of their way to keep the subject matter flowing. I found the "hands on" portions of the class very helpful. I would recommend this class to all motorcycle riders, what they learn could save a life." Ernie Vohnoutka

“Good review from both of us, I have taken a few courses of CPR thru the years, but this was definitely an eye-opener to other aspect to lifesaving I never even thought about. After 7 hours of learning what just a couple of minutes means when there is a motorcycle accident and you have someone who has the right knowledge to know what to do. It is very much lifesaving! I do hope that everyone takes this course for their own safety as well as the people they are riding with. And may the need never arise that it has to be used.”
Sharon Samuelson

Paulatics                       

by Paula McCallum

OLD YELLER Is it just me? Or are drivers now crossing over the yellllow lines more often than they used to? I don’t mind the occasional s w e r v e over to avoid hitting a pedestrian or bicyclist but come on! Do you have to give them such a wide girth, exhibiting a total disregard for MY lane of traffic? I’m not advocating that you run anyone over but please take note of the head on collision you will inevitably cause with my ONCOMING VEHICLE!
A study released in April 2006 found that almost 80% of crashes and 65% of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds of the event.1 to read more go to: www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/cellphones/

Maybe it’s due to the advent of the cell phone? Or you’re just changing your tunes, applying mascara or in mid-bite of your hamburger. Drivers can certainly become distracted while doing other stuff besides keeping their eyes on “Old Yellller”.

Lately, I’ve adopted the role of Citizen Traffic Patrol. I’ll honk my horn while yelling “get over.” If my window’s open, I’ll point at your side of the road where I think you ought to be. Most of the time you don’t see me gesturing or you might think, “who the hell is she?” Relax, I see you, I just require more space than you do to maneuver my vehicle around this tight corner.

Riding a motorcycle has definitely made me more aware of other driving hazards as well. That oncoming car is going to take a left into my path! They can’t even see me with the SUN in their eyes! She’s going to swing open her car door! Am I over reacting? Maybe so, but I’d rather err on the side of caution then get taken out by another motorist.

Citizen Traffic Patrol also has issues with folks who HAVE to pull out in front of me only to then d r i v e 2 0 m p h … Or tailgaters, but I’ll save those for another month.
Until then ...