Scooters Need Love Too

Jackie, my wife has a scooter by the name of “Meep-Meep.” Think Roadrunner and you get an idea. This older 50cc scooter gets great gas mileage, but still requires registration and inspections. As per my previous post, I discussed licensing. Now, from my understanding, Jackie will not have to get a license to ride her little Meep (due to its small size), but she will have to maintain insurance and the various registration requirements.

Meep’s a cute little go-getter and my daughter loves to ride it around the neighborhood, but I still stress awareness of her surroundings. Some folks believe that there is little danger with scooters, given their small size. However, I believe there is too much complacency and the small size causes folks to let their guard down.

Situational awareness and defensive driving is the key. Ride where you can be seen. This would typically slightly to the right or left of the lane so as not to be in the blind spot. When stopping behind a car give yourself plenty of room in the event you have to have to maneuver quickly out of harms way. At least a car’s length should be sufficient. Look for an escape path in case a car comes barreling behind you and can’t stop in time. I just learned of an individual who was rear-ended at a stop light. His bike was totaled and he suffered minor injuries.

Never assume drivers can see you. Always be aware and on the look-out. And for heaven’s sake where a helmet!

New Motorcycle Licensing Laws

Wow, did I get my motorcycle endorsement just in the nick of time. Beginning July 8th, Utah will move to a new tiered system where a rider will only be authorized to operate a motorcycle based upon the size of the bike used in the skills test. For example, if you successfully tested on a 90cc cycle, you will only be able to ride on a bike 90cc or less. There is a waiver if one successfully completes a motorcycle safety class (as I did), but only up to 649cc.

Vrrronica is 1312cc, which would mean that I would have had to complete my skills test on my behemoth if I did not (yet) receive my endorsement. Yes, she’s big-boned, but she does not show it :-). Fortunately, I have my endorsement in hand and will not have to retest.

I’ve listed the requirements below. If you are interested in riding a larger bike, make your move now.

Exerpt from Utah Rider Education (http://www.utahridered.com/):
Starting July 8, 2008 Utah will be using a tiered licensing system for motorcycle endorsements.

• If a rider tests on a 90cc or less motorcycle or scooter they will be restricted to 90cc or less.
• If a rider tests on a 249cc or less motorcycle or scooter they will be restricted to 249cc or less.
• If a rider tests on a 649cc or less motorcycle or scooter they will be restricted to 649cc or less.
• If a rider tests on a motorcycle or scooter larger than 650cc they will be allowed to ride any motorcycle or scooter.

If you take a motorcycle safety class on a 250cc motorcycle, successful completion of the safety course will waive the riding part of the license test for an up to 649cc endorsement. To get an endorsement for motorcycles above 649cc you must use your larger motorcycle in the class. To use your bike in the class you must have a permit, registration, and insurance.

Sharing the Road with Motorcycles (and Scooters)

As promised, I would share some of my knowledge from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) Rider’s Course, keeping in mind that many of my colleagues may never ride on a motorcycle. Rather, I wanted to focus this blog on sharing the road with motorcycles.

Given today’s high gas prices, I have seen more and more motorcycles and scooters on the road as people are looking for alternatives to cars to save on gas. Take a look around. It’s not quite India or China, but there is an explosive growth of two wheeled vehicles in Salt Lake Valley.

It is vital that all drivers are aware of the special needs of the two-wheeled motorist. In the span of 6 weeks, I have read of, or known several individuals that have lost their lives in motorcycle accidents. Some of these were due to the part of motorcycle/scooter operator (lack of helmets, for example). Nonetheless, half of all motorcycle accidents involve another vehicle. The following is an excerpt from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• Motorcycles are vehicles with the same rights and privileges as any vehicle on the roadway.
• Allow the motorcyclist a full lane width. Although it may seem as though there is enough room in the traffic lane for an automobile and a motorcycle, remember the motorcycle needs the room to maneuver safely. Do not share the lane.
• Approximately one-half of all motorcycle crashes involve another motor vehicle. Nearly 40 percent were caused by the other vehicle turning left in front of the motorcyclist.
• Motorcycles are small and may be difficult to see. Motorcycles have a much smaller profile than vehicles, which can make it more difficult to judge the speed and distance of an approaching motorcycle
• Remember that motorcyclists are often hidden in a vehicle’s blind spot or missed in a quick look due to their smaller size. Always make a visual check for motorcycles by checking mirrors and blind spots before entering or leaving a lane of traffic and at intersections
• Don’t be fooled by a flashing turn signal on a motorcycle – motorcycle signals usually are not self-canceling and riders sometimes forget to turn them off. Wait to be sure the motorcycle is going to turn before you proceed
• Remember that road conditions which are minor annoyances to you pose major hazards to motorcyclists. Motorcyclists may change speed or adjust their position within a lane suddenly in reaction to road and traffic conditions such as potholes, gravel, wet or slippery surfaces, pavement seams, railroad crossings, and grooved pavement
• Allow more following distance, three or four seconds, following a motorcycle so the motorcyclist has enough time to maneuver or stop in an emergency. In dry conditions motorcycles can stop more quickly than cars.

I recommend you take the time to view this 2-minute youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxxG2guvYLw

Here are some links to some great articles:
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/060308/opi_285842012.shtml
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/motorcycle/ShareTheRoad/images/ShareTheRoadwithMotorcycles.pdf

Vrrronica

My new passion is my motorcycle, Vrrronica. Yes, she has a name (thanks to my daughter). She’s a Honda VTX 1300, which is a rather large bike. I’ve primarily ridden ATVs and have minimal experience on road bikes, though I owned one years and years ago. In this case she’s a “cruiser,” low slung (for my short legs) and a beautiful sunburst orange.



The photo on the right is my "little" girl. Noelle who named Vrrronica.






As I stated, I have minimal road bike experience, and being a very cautious person, I decided to take the Motorcycle Riders Foundation’s safety course. Poor Vrrronica sat in my garage for two weeks before she had a mile on her. But, I promised my wife (and myself) that I would complete the course before setting out on the open road.

I recommend the riding course to anyone looking to ride a motorcycle (or scooter) as the instruction includes skill building, awareness, and defensive riding. I'll cover the course in my next blog...

Blogging on the iPhone... Not!

Tonight, I wanted to take online communication to the next level (for me). I was waiting for my son to finish his drum lessons and wanted to see how much [online] classwork I could complete using my mobile device. I hoped to add to my blog using my iPhone, but found that, at least for blogspot, this was difficult to do.

Those that are familiar with the iPhone will know that you must type on a non-tactile screen and navigating to various parts of a site means that you must select “next” or click in the appropriate text box. I tonight's experience, I could type in a title, but could not access the “body” field, and thus could only send a title (sans content)… not very convenient in a mobile world.

To add insult to injury, I attempted to access our class wiki with my iPhone, but was denied access. This may be a browser issue, as I have experienced access issues using Macintosh’s Safari browser. I have to use Firefox, which is not available on the iPhone. In fact, using Apple’s phone, I am limited to its proprietary browser.

Looks as if mobile access is still in its infancy, which, if we’re to move truly to the next phase, will have to be corrected.

New Position at the Air National Guard!!!!

A few months ago, I was approached to apply for a First Sergeant position with the Utah Air Guard. This is a vital role in that the FS is the voice of the enlisted men and women to the commander and serves as the enlisted advisor to the senior officers. Additionally, the FS is responsible for ensuring that the commander’s policies and objectives are conveyed to the units in order to met mission requirements.

Well, after a tedious process I was selected as the new First Sergeant to represent a couple hundred folks at my unit. I officially transition from my current, individual contributor role very soon.

So what does this have to do with this class? Part of my role is to serve my team’s needs, which includes development. Just as it is important that we must understand how learners use new tools and are affected by various technologies, it would serve me well to understand the mindset and driving factors for young airmen and women of the Air Force. The psychology is the same: we have young individuals influenced in different ways (than traditional methods) and this will impact their view of how they learn.

The new role will be challenging, but this class has given me a headstart on how I hope to approach my discussions with the leaders and their direct reports.

Social Networking - Democratization of Learning?

Well, this weekend was a bust. I have been away from work all week and had hoped to work on my home, study a bit, and generally get caught up on things… then I was hit with the dreaded flu (?), which sidelined me the past four days or so.

Excuses aside, I am still working on all the myriad of things required of the class. My wiki’s up and may look a little intimidating – I hope it’s not too confusing, and now I see I need to discuss a few things for our class blog… so here it goes:

When I hear the term “social networking,” I initially have negative thoughts. I understand the explosive growth, but like text messaging, I think there is an easier way to communicate with one another… talk! Remember, I am from the pre-millennial generation (capital PRE-), which influences my view. Importantly, much has been written about MySpace and other sites regarding predatory practices, bullying, and other issues, which of course, affects my judgment.

Fears aside, there are plenty of positives in the face of the negatives. The ability to reach across the Internet spectrum, contact friends and peers, communicate and share ideas (as well as likes and dislikes), and form a community is powerful.

From an educational point of view, learning can become more focused as groups with similar needs or aspirations can join to share learning – the group teaching and learning from one another, ideally with an educator to guide them. Learning is no longer held in a classroom, but rather in space, where “friends” can join, participate and contribute. This is the Democratization of learning; not just online action... a choice in what learners want.

In short, Social Networking can become a learning community resource, one of many that we (educators) need to harness in order to meet the educational needs of the millenial generation.