Risk Management

123 45 6789 - That’s me as far as my insurance company is concerned.

They wouldn’t know me personally if I showed up at their door in San Antonio. They just deal in numbers and dollars. They project the premiums needed to cover claims and pay out during the year as claims come in. It’s called risk management and it is big business.

Every time we climb onto a motorcycle, we become risk managers as well. Only our medium is not just numbers and dollars, but skin, blood and bone.

Every decision we make about our ride, from ride planning to how fast we enter a switchback mountain road turn either increases our risk or decreases our risk. Every ride involves many decisions. Where are we going, what are we wearing, when to stop, how is the weather, what route to take, what equipment and supplies to take along, all before picking up the key for the bike. Any one of those decisions could have an effect on our safety. During the ride the decisions come at us fast and furious. Speed, road conditions, traffic around us, hazards, following distance and all the rest. Decisions! Any one of these could also affect our safety.

As motorcycle riders we accept the inherent risk associated with our passion. Our goal should be to pursue that passion as safely as possible and that’s where risk management comes in. To be effective risk managers takes training. Every MSF training course is chock full of safety tips we either didn’t know or forgot. Every GWRRA safety course, Road Captain, Trailering, etc, has more. The knowledge gained in these classes will help you make better decisions and be better risk managers. The give and take between members at meetings and on rides is another excellent source. My radar is always out for some tidbit I hadn’t heard before.

We often try to ignore the risk. It is uncomfortable to think about. When you think about the risk, it’s inevitable you’ll think about bad consequences. But ignoring risk does not diminish risk. Be proactive. Look risk in the eye and by consistently making the right decisions we will keep risk at a minimum.

MAKE GOOD DECISIONS – RIDE SAFE – RIDE OFTEN

Tom Scully
NC-E Chapter Educator