Mark’s
Motorcycle Safety Tips
Greetings fellow Salem Hog Members. I first want to thank you for the
opportunity to serve as your Safety Officer in 2006. I look forward to trying
to provide you with additional information and resources for your continued
riding safety. In my opinion Dave Nichols set the bar high in 2005 as safety
officer. I will do my best to meet his example. Thank you Dave, AWESOME JOB!
So, what topic to start the year off with? Hmm. Well, since we had some nice
weather a few weeks ago, nice in the terms of dry anyway, but yet COLD, cold
weather riding came to mind. We all know that in
Conditions that lead to hypothermia are cold temperatures, improper clothing
and equipment, wetness, fatigue, exhaustion, dehydration, poor food intake, and
alcohol intake.
According to some information, any core body temperature less than 98.6 degrees
can be linked to hypothermia. Some signs and symptoms of the different levels
of Hypothermia are: Mild-core body temperature between 98.6 and 96 degrees,
involuntary shivering, tight muscles, and difficulty doing complex motor
skills. Moderate dazed consciousness, loss of fine motor coordination -
particularly in the hands, slurred speech, violent shivering, and irrational
behavior. This is a very dangerous condition to be in. Severe-core temperature
between 92 and 86 degrees, cycles of shivering with decreasing intervals until
shivering finally stops. This is now a serious medical emergency.
As you can probably figure out for your self, the mild and moderate symptoms
alone can negatively impact our ability to operate our bike and make good
decisions. The shivering increases fatigue, muscle tightness and consumes more
energy. We need our motor skills to make decisions, provide reaction time,
operate our controls, coordination, and balance and be aware of our constantly
changing surroundings. (Situational Awareness) So how much does wind speed
reduce the outside temperature to the human body? Here are some wind chill
factors according to a wind chill calculator designed for the exposure of a
motorcycle rider. These are dramatically warmer than the conventional wind
chill factors. In the calculator I used some likely MPH speeds.
|
Outside |
Wind |
Wind Chill |
|
60 |
70 |
53 |
|
60 |
70 |
46 |
|
55 |
70 |
38 |
|
50 |
70 |
31 |
|
45 |
70 |
24 |
|
40 |
65 |
24 |
|
35 |
65 |
17 |
When we expose
ourselves to a cold environment, we will eventually be in a hyperthermia
condition. The question is how long it will take to get to that point. The
longer we can keep our body temperature from dropping, the longer we can safely
be exposed to a cold environment. The more we protect our selves by keeping
heat from escaping our body and cold air from contacting our skin, the longer
we can safely endure the conditions. To do this we need to insulate our bodies.
In other words, create a cushion of warm air near our skin. This can be
accomplished by dressing in layers. And now days “performance clothing” or,
clothing designed for the elements can accomplish this with a high degree of
efficiency and less bulk. Our bodies lose the majority of heat through our
head, neck and shoulders. So it is important we also cover these areas to
reduce heat loss. Of course, electric heated riding gear is also available.
There is lots of specialized gear and clothing designed for motorcycle riding
in cold weather. What to choose depends on several factors, such as comfort,
style, personal preference, and budget.
So, when riding in cold or even cool weather, dress accordingly, be prepared
with the proper protection, and recognize the early signs of hyperthermia. When
your body starts shiver, stop, take a break inside where it is warm and drink
something hot to let your body recuperate and your core body temperature regain
heat. Respectfully submitted by,
Mark Johnston
Ride safe, so you can ride tomorrow!