Who's Skidding Now? Weekly Safety Reminder #6

It's the Doak TC Weekly Safety Reminder (WSR) #6. Who's skidding now?

The snows and black ice of winter have pretty much left our local roadways. Yes, I'm sure we will be punished with a surprise blast or two, but for the most part we're done with icy roads for this season. So, why am I issuing a skid warning today? Well, that's because the icy covered roadways of winter have given way to the sand, dirt and gravel covered roadways of spring. That means a safety warning (reminder) for two different groups.

Group 1 - Everyone not driving a motorcycle. The first warm(ish) days of non-winter are not just sprouting shoots above the septic tank. I'm sure you've seen the two-wheelers appearing on the roadways already. I'm one of them, too. So, please watch out for us. First, because we're hard to see at any time of year, and second, because we're making our turns through all of that leftover sand, dirt and gravel. That leads to wide and unsteady motorcycle turns at intersections (typically where lots of gravel collects during the winter) and the increased potential that the motorcycle you're approaching will skid out when you get closer to them.

Group 2 - Motorcycle operators. Yes, it's great to be on the road again and feeling the icy blasts of not quite spring breezes through your teeth. But, there are a couple of safety reminders to keep in mind. First, those ice breezes and the fact that we haven't been on the two-wheelers in a few months are affecting our concentration and reaction time a bit. Second, there is all of that darn dirt, sand and gravel waiting to surprise us. It's mostly at curves, but can appear at many spots, especially as homeowners start blowing it off their yards. Slow down, plan turns way in advance, plan to skip a turn if it looks dangerous and keep watch for the black ice of dirty spring roads.