Karen Kistler
karen.kistler@salisburypost.com
The first ever BikeSafe program was offered in Rowan County on Nov. 22 at the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office in Landis.
Four individuals with varying years of experience and different types of motorcycles, signed up to participate in this premiere class, with the desire to, as one rider said, “brush up” on what they knew.
Garry Perry, who was sworn into the department in December of last year to help with this program, noting that he is part time as his full-time job is serving as an executive pilot for Food Lion and flying helicopters for the military.
Being a qualified bike safety officer and having been trained with the highway patrol, Perry said he “came over here because I have a vested interest, they reached out to me once they got the motorcycle unit going.”
Perry, who led the class, told the participants, which included Winston Kelly, Larry Ketchie, Jeff Causey and Robert Lynn, that “today is the first time that Rowan County is offering this class. This is the first time I will be running you guys through the curriculum.”
Prior to the start of the class, Rowan County Chief Deputy Jason Owens, who was there to support the group, welcomed them, thanked them for coming and presented each of them with a challenge coin for their participation.
Captain Wes Smith, who is over the motor unit, was also on hand for the class and went along to help Perry assess the group.
Jim Cayer, who serves as a BikeSafe teacher and assessor, was there for the classroom portion of the program, also providing some information for the group during the event.
The course began with a brief history of how it started, noting that the BikeSafe program was developed years ago in London where they noticed a large number of deaths and serious injuries on motorcycles. Therefore a program was developed with the assistance of several colleges including Cambridge and Harvard, which helped develop a curriculum to help make motorcycling safer.
Perry said that the North Carolina Highway Patrol traveled to London where they rode with the officers and adopted the program and then “adapted it and then they brought it back to North Carolina.”
“We thought obviously that that would be a great idea to bring to Rowan County,” said Perry, who then reached out to Sgt. Loukas, the BikeSafe N.C. statewide coordinator and expressed an interest in starting the program and teaching it in this area, to which Loukas said that he was “really excited about (it) because we don’t have anybody in Rowan County that teaches the program.”
Loukas said that he heads up the statewide program, which is free to the public. The program teaches motorcycle safety and he noted there are “roughly 40-some departments/agencies that are certified to teach the program.”
He noted that BikeSafe is “unique because it’s the only free motorcycle course in the state. It’s the only one that offers an on-the-road assessment. We expect riders to know the basics of motorcycle operation,” he said, “but we do a good job of improving riding and safety skills.”
Perry shared with the class that as a result of the program there was a 25-percent decrease in fatalities in London.
Loukas shared that North Carolina started the program in 2007 as a pilot program in Wake County and they too “saw a reduction in fatalities that was not seen anywhere else in the state. So it’s a highly effective program, and we’re trying very hard to fill classroom seats and get people here to take our class.”
In Rowan County this year, Perry said that there had been several serious injuries or deaths on a motorcycle, adding that there were five deaths since January; and therefore thinks offering the BikeSafe class is “a worthwhile thing to do” and to get riders in there to brush up on their skills.
He said they want to have an impact by offering these free classes.
The day began with the academic portion of the course, where each of the participants shared a little bit about themselves including the type of motorcycle they had, how much riding experience they have, the reasons they decided to take the course and why they like to ride.
Multiple topics were covered during the interactive class as a PowerPoint presentation provided information and posed different scenarios on videos for the group to consider and answer.
They discussed why rules are important and talked about strategies for being safer, braking techniques, intersections and sharing trouble spots on local highways.
Additional topics included curve negotiations, how to properly ride the motorcycle, and how things such as such stress, depression and other factors can impact the rider.
Passing and overtaking were part of the presentation making sure riders are aware of what is happening around them and making sure that others are aware of them.
“Always look ahead and plan,” said Perry.
Equipment was discussed and how to select the proper kind of gear was noted both in a video and discussion as Perry said that “having the right gear is important.”
Cayer went around the room, allowing everyone to see the Kevlar jacket that the department uses which protects the rider up to 60 mph.
In addition to talking about the rider, information about the motorcycle was discussed, including checking tires, being familiar with the controls, lights and electrical, oils and fluids, chassis and stands.
After the class portion, they got ready to head out on their first of two rides to be assessed. Perry told them during the ride to “ride your ride” as he told them to ride as they normally would so they could have the chance to assess their technique and encouraged them to practice what they learned during the class.
Following their first ride, Perry said they would provide “feedback on what they’re doing right and what they could improve on” and then head out on a longer ride which concluded the event.
Loukas said that the BikeSafe program is effective in reducing fatalities and collisions and that getting BikeSafe to other areas is growing slowly and steadily.
“If anyone is interested in taking a BikeSafe class, they can visit their website at bikesafenc.com, view the classes that are available and register.
Owens shared that Perry is part of the sheriff’s office’s motorcade program, as they have five motorcycles.
He noted that “four of them were paid for with a state grant and the fifth was paid for with drug asset forfeiture money so no county money was spent buying this stuff.”
Smith provided some statistics about how the county’s motorcycles have been used in the past year as they have done 37 veteran funeral escorts to the National Cemetery in Salisbury and 38 to other families to other cemeteries as well as participating in parades and multiple benefit charity rides; however, right now they’re not used for patrolling or traffic enforcement or anything like that, said Owens
