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By Michael Dapper
VRA Page Webmaster
October 10. That’s just too early for snow, yet that’s what we woke up to as we peered out the windows of the van down by the river where the Blog staff works.
Sure, that first snow melted later in the day, but it’s being replaced as we write this on October 12.
This, too, shall melt, but it’s too early for this stuff.
New Rider Crash/Safety Study to Begin
The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) that researchers at Oklahoma State University (OSU) are about to launch the first significant “motorcycle crash causation study” since the Hurt Report in 1981. In English: The OSU will study all the data available from a broad range of motorcycle accidents to try to determine what causes motorcycles accidents in today’s traffic.
It is hoped that the research findings will alert all of us to traffic hazards that are the most common in today’s traffic, or which we have not commonly been aware of.
On the one hand, rider safety is rider safety. If you are hyper-alert, give yourself some escape opportunities and, ideally, have gone through rider training programs, you’ve done most of what you can to stay safe.
On the other hand, there probably are some significant new forms of road risks to learn about from the new study. After all, in 1981, way fewer vehicle drivers were using cell phones and texting devices while driving, fewer were slurping big, scalding containers of coffee while driving, and there were fewer vehicles on the road.
The AMA noted that the 1981 Hurt Report “provided a wealth of data that has been used to develop training and strategies to help keep riders safer on the road. In the decades since, the traffic environment has changed enormously, prompting the AMA to begin campaigning for a new study several years ago.”
The study will take years to complete, so we’ve got to keep riding safe and smart, but we will be interested in learning what it identifies as noteworthy risks to today’s motorcyclists. As the AMA said, “the study will give motorcyclists and others concerned with highway safety a fuller picture of how motorcycles fit into today's traffic mix, a better understanding of what causes motorcycle crashes, and insights into the best strategies to prevent these crashes.”
Researchers will “evaluate data from hundreds of motorcycle crashes to help identify common factors, including road configurations, environmental conditions and rider experience,” according to the AMA, which added: “The study's focus is to examine whether effectively implemented countermeasures might affect these factors and prevent motorcycle crashes or lessen the harm when they occur.”
Lobsterfest Countdown
All this week we’ll be counting down to Saturday, October, 17, date of the epic Lobsterfest party in Palm Bay, Florida.
Have fun, all you HAVCFers! (You’ll find the official Lobsterfest countdown clock on the HAVCF home page.)
And if you head to the party, bring the phone number of our friend, Shelly.
Victory Challenge Demo Tour
The Victory 18-wheelers have rolled into the Kansas, Mizzou, Texas region for more stops on the Victory Challenge Demo Tour. Here are the tour stops for the week ahead:
• October 13, Tuesday
Van Wall Powersports
800 N. Rogers Road
Olathe, KS 66062
Phone: 913-397-6009
• October 16-17, Friday and Saturday
Family Powersports McKinney
311 W. University
McKinney, TX 75069
Phone: 972-562-2077
• October 16-17, Friday-Saturday
Renegade Motorcycles
2618 I-20 W.
Grand Prairie, TX 75052
Phone: 469-348-2222
Toll-free Phone: 877-976-BIKE
• October 17, Saturday
Austin Trailer and Motorsports
13810 E. US Hwy. 40
Independence, MO 64055
Phone: 913-721-5313
You’ll find the complete Victory Challenge Demo Tour schedule HERE, and you’ll find tour stops and more Victory-related events on the Events Page.
New tour dates are being added frequently, so check back regularly to see where the Victory 18-wheelers will be stopping next.
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