COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- eam BLAZE motorcycle drivers gathered together in one of two safety briefings April 22 in the Kaye Auditorium at Columbus Air Force Base.
The Air Education and Training Command used the briefings to help push Airmen to be more vigilant with their driving habits and focused on several recent fatalities involving cyclists who were speeding.
Each briefing opened up with Col. John Nichols, 14th Flying Training Wing Commander, giving his thoughts as to why motorcycle safety is important to him, the base, and the Air Force as a whole.
“I want you to have a great weekend, but make sure you stay safe,” Nichols said. “We want to see you Monday morning, the day after and we need you safe in the long run so we can continue the mission.”
The hour-long briefings, run by John Lindell, 14th Flying Training Wing Safety Office, also contained a slideshow with details of the recent fatalities, suggestions for what could’ve been done to avoid them, and an open forum for questions.
“This is to impress upon our motorcycle riders [that] bad decision making, risk taking, and lack of discipline can cause accidents and fatalities,” Lindell said. “Hopefully they will look at the risks they are accepting getting on those vehicles and perhaps alter their behavior so they take less risks while driving.”
For more information about motorcycle safety, call 434-2522 or 434-2528.