Pre-season motorcycle safety brief to be held March 26

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Austin M. May
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  The annual pre-season motorcycle safety briefing required for all U.S. servicemembers who ride in the United Kingdom is scheduled for March 26 at the RAF Feltwell motorcycle range.

The briefing will cover topics such as rider registration, mishap trends, personal protective equipment, risk management and local riding conditions.

Following the safety brief, the Armed Forces Sergeants Association is sponsoring a "poker run" and cookout to kickoff the riding season.

The event is open to all licensed motorcycle riders, regardless if their bike is here with them or not, according to Master Sgt. Bill Rathbun, 100th Air Refueling Wing Safety superintendent. The briefing, which will be held from 9 to 10:30 a.m., is mandatory, so riders who don't have a bike now but may get one should make plans to attend. Make-up briefings can be coordinated through each unit's motorcycle coordinator or Sergeant Rathbun.

The poker run and cookout are optional, and those interested in participating should register by calling DSN 238-4717 or e-mailing william.rathbun@mildenhall.af.mil.

The poker run, a tradition among bikers, will begin at the motorcycle range, and has stops in Bury St. Edmunds, Newmarket, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath. At each stop, riders will receive a playing card, and at the end of the run the rider with the best poker hand wins the game. Commemorative poker chips will be handed out to participates in the poker run.

Sergeant Rathbun said briefings like this are important because they allow military members to continue enjoying their hobby safely while overseas.

"We average about 60 vehicle-related fatalities a year in the Air Force, and 40 percent of those involve motorcycles," the master sergeant said. "Anything we can do to prevent the human factors involved in those accidents is worth the time.

"This is just to teach people to ride safely," he added.

For more information, contact the 100th ARW Safety Office at DSN 238-4717.