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This issue was addressed while I was stationed in Hawaii. By addressed I mean it was talked about and had a minor implementation of rules, regs and courses that one must meet before being approved to ride a bike on post. That's great to ensure that the rider is safe on post and in the 3+ year period I was stationed at Schofield, no motorcycle rider lost his/ her life on post.
Off post was a completely different affair. In one week alone (6 days) we lost 3 soldiers to fatal motorcycle accidents. The command had good intent in creating a motorcycle rider course. Basically ensuring a person could handle to bike on small obstacles, balance it while moving slowly, etc.
Of the two killed in that one week both were doing speeds in excess of 100mph. It is a chronic problem that has been around for a long while and will only get worse unless we (NCO's and Officers) add this to things that will get you hammered. People love thrills, some are more apt to take bigger risks to meet the need for adrenaline.
We as soldiers take calculated risks and that may engender a slight sense of invincibility, especially after withstanding and addressing sustained combat operations. A soldier may miss excitement and the lure of danger. After some of the experiences the young men and women go through they may not get the "high" they got from the old things they used to do. At that point they will seek out other thrills that meet the need. I'm sure that those of past generations and the QP's on this board have had a handfull of run-ins with this mentality and problems like this.
Anyone have any recommendations on how to address this and fix it. Realistic approaches are appreciated, humorous ones are as well. As an NCO I'm sure that I'll need to counsel a soldier on behavior like this. Hopefully I get the chance to address it before PVT Snuffy becomes PVT Snuffed.
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