President’s Corner August 2011

Considering the heat, our meeting was relatively well attended.  We had around thirty members present.  There were fewer riders and more drivers than usual which was understandable.  I had said in my reminder email that program plans fell through but it turned out that we did have a program after all.  Jeff Pittinger and John Skala from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation discussed ramifications of age on riding skills.  There were several exercises that tested our reaction times and cognitive skills plus an interesting video.  In addition there was a “Seasoned Rider Fact Sheet” that they handed out.

For those of you not attending, I’ll summarize the content with emphasis on the more relevant information.  In the general facts category it seems that older riders have fewer accidents than younger riders but have higher rates of fatal crashes.  Medications taken by older riders have a significant effect on riding skill especially when combined with alcohol.  My own experience with this proves this fact.  A doctor, who knew I rode motorcycles, prescribed medication to me without any warning that it would affect my balance.  It didn’t affect my walking but I dropped my bike three times in one week before I figured out what was going on.  So as a precaution,  I read that sheet the drugstore gives you with your medication about the side effects very carefully.

Age also affects rider functions.  Visual clarity and peripheral vision diminish along with night vision.  Eyes are more sensitive to light and they take longer to adjust to near and to far objects.  They also take longer to adjust to dark and depth perception diminishes as well.  Eye muscles and body muscles react more slowly, resulting in delayed response time.  Reacting to a hazard may take twice as long for a rider 40 to 54 years of age, and up to three or four times longer after age 55 or so.  Muscles are weaker.  Muscle tone and strength deteriorate as we age.  A person loses 6-10 percent muscle mass per decade starting at age 30.  So much for the negative.  I think we all know most of this stuff already.

On the brighter side, there are things we can do to mitigate these aforementioned results of aging.  We need to keep a greater following distance.  Some authorities recommend up to a six-second interval.  Avoid complicated and congested roads that produce “input overload”.  Since most accidents involve more than one contributing factor, this seems to be good advice.  I find myself constantly checking my mirrors watching out for that distracted SUV driver determined to tail gate me.  The other information like double checking blind spots, proper headlight adjustment, pre- ride checks of the bike, wear protective gear, etc. are things we all do.  However, here some good suggestions regarding physical health and fitness:

Have annual eye check ups.  I did and found out I had cataracts.  I had a lens replaced and what a revelation.  I could read road signs much sooner and my night vision was transformed.  The annual medical check up is a given.  Most important is to have an exercise regimen.  It enhances flexibility, strength, endurance, and counteracts that muscle loss mentioned previously.  This is all good advice but I disagree with their last recommendation which is “When the time comes to retire from motorcycling, buy a sporty convertible”.  What I think I’ll do is buy a side car.

Ride safe,

Harlan Hock, President