The Scene

THE SCENE

IVAN J. WAGAR

THE publisher's column this month announces my appointment to the National Motor Vehicle Safety Advisory Council. This Council, established by law as part of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, was primarily created to ensure that bureaucrats would not establish motor vehicle safety laws without the essential guidance from people who are in a position to know what is going on in the world outside Washington, D.C. It is very easy for anyone with strong views in a particular area to become blinded to the overall problems and their proper solutions. We have motorcyclists who feel that all legislation is bad. We have legislators who feel that motorcycles should be made illegal.

Somewhere. I hope, we can find harmony. Hut we will not be immune to legislation until we find a way to reduce the number of people being killed on motorcycles.

In a sincere, almost pleading manner. Senator Edward Speno, Council Chairman, welcomed me to the Council, but made no bones about the fact that I was in the hot seat. He proceeded to relate his story, one that in one way or another reflects the views of several of the members of the Council.

It seems that, until a couple of years ago. Senator Speno had a very lovelyniece. Happily married and the mot lier of a two-vear-old daughter, the niece owned her own airplane and was a very accomplished skier and violinist.

One evening her husband’s best friend carne around with a new motorcycle and offered everyone a ride.

At this point the story bore a familiar note, and was reminiscent in one respect or another of all the bad stories about motorcycles I have heard and experienced for 20 years. Simply stated: no one in this little group had been told that a motorcycle can be dangerous, if the driver doesn't know how to ride it.

Mr. Speno went on to tell me that the niece was quick to volunteer. And why not? Was this not the new. hot craze sweeping America? And, after all. she was athletic, coordinated and very skilled in anything she attempted. So. with no further ado. and with even less instruction, the niece set off to go around t he block.

After completing about a half a lap. it seems, the girl encountered a rock on the road, lost control and was killed.

I informed Mr. Speno that 72 percent of all deaths occur within the first 90 days of motorcycle operation. Statistics show that almost <S0 percent of all deaths occurred on rented or borrowed motorcycles.

A little side note to this story is that while I attended my first Council meeting and made this information available to Ed Speno. I returned to the office to find one of our editorial assistants all bunged up from a crash on a motorcycle.

You see we have this chick in the office who wants to be a motorcycle rider. Jody, Dan and I have all offered to give her the best instruction available, based on the combined experience of half a century of riding, and besides she is pretty good-looking. Before I left I arranged for a new machine, thinking she would take the time to learn about motorcycling before she went solo. That is a fairly reasonable assumption, when one realizes that she reads the magazine every month and knows that at least 1000 inexperienced motorcycle riders will be killed this year.

The answer is probably in Ed Speno’s question when he asked: “How is it that everybody thinks they can ride a motorcycle?"

Touche! Ed. Ass't. [O]