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'Safety first' message hits home for Reservist

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Ken Sloat
  • 910th AW Public Affairs
It was a sunny Sunday morning. The three-day holiday weekend was just getting into full swing. 

Since he had a few hours before his afternoon plans were set to begin, he decided to take the warm May sun up on its invitation to take his motorcycle out for a ride. 

After putting on his leather pants and leather jacket, he pushed his hands into padded leather gloves and straddled his 600 cubic-centimeter motorcycle. He pulled a full-face helmet down over his head and rode off. 

Less than a half-hour later, he was he was being loaded into an ambulance. 

“I remember…a couple of the turns…then I remember the paramedics trying to put me on a backboard,” said Allan Navecky III, a Lockheed Martin contractor assigned to the 910th Communication Flight here. 

As he was being lifted into the ambulance he struggled to remember the events leading up to the accident. He heard one of the paramedics tell him he’d probably be dead if it weren’t for his helmet. 

“I learned a lot about riding from my dad,” he said. Especially, he explained, the importance of doing it safely. 

“The doctor pretty much said that if he hadn’t been wearing his gear he may not have survived,” said his father, Master Sgt. Allan Navecky Jr., a ground safety manager assigned to the 910th Airlift Wing here. 

After spending one night in the hospital the younger Navecky was released with a broken collar bone and a fractured shoulder blade. He was back at work a week later. 

His father, – a 32-year motorcycle rider himself – is thankful that his son paid attention to the motorcycle riding safety tips he shared with him over the years. 

“It’s probably one of the few times in his life he actually listened to what his father had to say,” joked Sgt. Navecky. 

It was a decision that likely saved his life. 

According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, in 73 percent of the 177 motorcycle fatalities in 2005 not wearing a helmet contributed to the rider’s death. Also, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reports that of the 134 Ohioans killed in motorcycle accidents in 2004 just 36 were wearing helmets. 

Ohio is one of 30 states that allow motorcyclists to ride without a helmet. In Ohio, only riders younger than 18 years old and first-year riders are required to wear helmets. 

Although the state of Ohio allows most riders to decide whether or not they wear helmets, the Department of Defense does not. 

To drive on Youngstown Air Reserve Station, military riders are required by DOD regulation to wear full-face helmets with eye protection, full finger gloves, long sleeves with brightly colored outer garments and sturdy shoes. In addition to the gear, the DOD mandates that military riders successfully complete either a Basic or Experienced Rider Course prior to registering a motorcycle on base. These courses are taught by “RiderCoaches” trained and certified by The Motorcycle Safety Foundation, a not-for-profit organization sponsored by motorcycle manufacturers and distributors. It is widely regarded as a leader in motorcycle rider education. 

Both of the MSF courses are designed to help motorcyclists improve their skills through practical riding experience in a closed-course, such as a parking lot staked out with cones. 

In addition to the hands-on riding experience, the Basic Rider Course covers protective gear, rider responsibility, motorcycle inspection and care. It is designed for someone who has never ridden before. The goal of the basic course, according to Sgt. Navecky, is to give students the equivalent of six months worth of actual riding experience. 

New riders, according to Sgt. Navecky, are most likely to have an incident within their first six months of riding. The two-day long basic course gives new riders a safe environment to learn some foundational lessons, he explained. 

The experienced rider course is typically about six hours of closed-course riding and focuses on advanced techniques such as managing traction, stopping quickly, cornering and swerving. 

Sergeant Navecky is scheduled to complete the certification training required to become an MSF RiderCoach. Once he completes the nine-day course at Andrews Air Force Base, he will be certified to teach both the basic and experienced rider courses anywhere in the country. The plan, he said, is to set up a range here on base and begin offering, as a minimum, the Experienced Rider Course before the end of the year. 

“If we save one base rider from going down, it will have been worth it,” he said. 

But rider protection is still important. 

“Motorcycle riding is inherently dangerous,” said the younger Navecky. While he admits there a lot of things riders can do to reduce the risks, they should understand that no matter how prepared riders are, accidents can still happen. 

“There’s an old mantra among riders,” he said, “dress for the crash not for the ride.”