By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 23, 2012 – Air Force
Col. Dana Morel knows the dangers of motorcycle riding as well as anyone.
A biker herself, Morel was a lieutenant
at Mather Air Force Base, Calif., in 1986 when a young airman she knew with the
base honor guard took off speeding one night. Distraught over the end of a
romance, he missed a turn and crashed his motorcycle into a telephone pole, and
died at the scene.
As traumatic as that was, nothing could
prepare Morel for a crash that happened last July that took the life of her
good friend and fellow biker, Tyler Cowherd, and left his wife, Carolyn, and a
friend who was riding with them permanently disabled.
The Cowherds on one Harley-Davidson
motorcycle, and their friend on another, were traveling westbound on a
Springfield, Va., road on the evening of July 17 when an eastbound car turned
in front of them, causing both bikes to crash into the side of it. The
motorcycles could not have stopped in time to avoid the collision, and the
driver of the car was charged with failing to yield, according to the police
report.
Morel says she has struggled to accept
the fatal crash “that was so avoidable.” She now speaks out about the need for
“caged” drivers -- those protected by a car or truck chassis -- to be more
aware of motorcycles and their vulnerabilities and to slow down and not be
distracted drivers.
“I like to think that most motorcyclists
are safe [drivers],” Morel said. “But, you’re completely vulnerable, completely
exposed. When you get in a car, you don’t think that much about it.”
While motorcycle courses teach about road
conditions and situations hazardous to bikers, regular driving classes rarely
mention motorcycles, Morel said. Before she gets onto her Harley-Davidson, she
added, she has checked out road and weather conditions and shared any potential
hazards with other bikers.
“We’re always watching out for that,”
she said.
Morel commutes by Metro bus each day to
the Pentagon where she is a deputy division chief in an Air Force acquisitions
office. She says she has been dismayed by the various things people do while
driving.
“People are so distracted,” she said. “I
see text messaging [by drivers] every single day when I’m on the bus. They’re
taking their eyes off the road for things that have absolutely nothing to do
with driving.” Morel said she’s observed drivers texting, talking, tuning the
radio, eating and putting on makeup.
Morel said she is encouraged that the
Defense Department promotes Motorcycle Safety Foundation standards, which have
stricter requirements than states’ motor vehicle departments.
“The MSF is the gold standard,” she
said. “If you can pass it, you’re good to go.”
There are many motorcycle clubs, Morel
said, that stress safety for their riders and do charitable work for veterans,
military families, and community needs. Patriot Guard Riders, American Veterans
Motorcycle Riders Association, and Desert Storm Riders are just a few, she
said.
Morel has come full circle with
motorcycles: her 20-year-old son, who is in a Marine Corps ROTC program,
recently told her he is shopping for a motorcycle. At first, Morel was nervous
about it.
“But after spending time with him, I
realized he is making good choices.” she.
Morel’s son convinced her he will be a
safe driver, and she looks forward to riding with him.
“I don’t know if that scares me as much
as him going into the Marine Corps, or vice versa,” she said. “But a mom is
like that about anything with her kids. You’re going to be afraid of whatever
they do.”
Morel said she knows she can’t stop him,
especially when she also rides. “What I can do is support him in being safe,”
she said.
Last week, Morel rode her Harley nine
hours down to the annual Bike Week at Myrtle Beach, S.C. When she returned, she
learned of another motorcycle tragedy very much like the one that took her
friend’s life last summer: a 25-year-old volunteer firefighter from Culpepper,
Va., died after slamming into a car that had turned in front of him.
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