Mountain Lion Gazette

Transcription

1 Mountain Lion Gazette WA District ~ April 2018 Chapter WA - M Yakima Washington Words from your Chapter Director Hello GWRRA Spring has finally sprung here on the eastside of the Cascades. We ve got sunshine rain wind & possible snow to ride our motorcycles/trikes in. That s ok, because we are Gold Wingers and we have gerbing wear! Gerbings keep us warm, cozy & comfortable. Multi Chapter meeting is quickly approaching, and I am hoping to see many of you there. Bring your friends, your family, your upcoming events to this yearly meeting and announce and promote your events and your chapter. Chapter WA-M will be waiting to see you. Have a safe and pleasurable ride to the Yakima Valley. With Spring comes beautiful riding weather and ALL the GWRRA Chapters having fun raisers and events throughout the US & Canada and beyond. Wishing each of you the opportunity to get out there and ride those beautiful bikes and/or trikes, enjoy the world while visiting other GWRRA Chapters, visiting with old friends and family and making new friends and extended family. Don t forget to take your Gold Book with the names & numbers of other Gold Wing Road Riders who can and will help you with anything you need while you are on the road, this includes a cup of coffee if that is all you want. Wing Ding 40 is in Knoxville, TN August 28 th through September 1, Have you made your plans to attend? Wing Ding s are FUN!! Lots of FUN!! And the ride getting there is always amazing. You can even volunteer to help at Wing Ding and be more involved, see and learn more about Wing Ding and the happenings that make it a great adventure. Well this Chapter Director has many things we need to complete so we can host a wonderful Multi Chapter meeting and finish preparing our 23 rd Annual Fun Run, Saturday, May 5, 2018, which I hope you will come on back to Yakima and join us in this adventure as we will a take you for an adventurous ride somewhere within Yakima and the surrounding area. Come join us! You will also have the opportunity of winning our Grand Prize of $300 CASH. Hope to see you here. Remember to Always ride with Friends for the Fun, Safety & Knowledge of the ride. Sherre & Arlie Holden, Director, Chapter WA-M

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3 Hi everyone, I have attached a great article submitted by Carl Maier (Asst. District Motorist Awareness Coordinator), so thought I would share it. Thanks, Vic Parr, WA District, Motorist Awareness Coordinator, parrv@msn.com (253) As the Motorist Awareness Coordinator, I am ususally talking to the other people who are sharing the road with us, telling them about us who, are riding bikes and trikes, and how they can help us enjoy the ride. I also try to learn more about how they think about us and how they react, to what I am trying to convey to them about how to keep us safe, on the road. The following is what I have heard from them while talking to them one on one, as a group, and even while talking to driving instructors. While talking to these people, even the driving instructors, I have learned both drivers, and riders, need to learn about what to do, and to watch for. Especially the small things that can become very serious to the both of us, because they can cause an accident. Like drivers who do not take the handicap hanger off the mirror, or the vehicle with the large sticker in the middle of the rear window, as these cause blind spots, and not giving us 4 seconds, while following us. Drivers aren t out to get you. If one pulls out in front of you, most likely, they didn t see you and meant no harm. Responding with road rage doesn t help anyone. If it seems they are driving aggressively, give them more space and/or let them go ahead of you. Do what you can to be seen. Bright colors and reflective material on your bike, helmet, and jacket can really help you to stand out in traffic. That driver seeing your brightly colored gear may just give them the heads up they need to avoid a collision. Practice your skills. Maximum braking, swerving, and cornering are skills that you can never be too good at practice, practice, practice. Avoid alcohol when riding alcohol is one of the leading factors in motorcycle crashes and fatalities. It greatly reduces your ability to see other vehicles early enough to avoid them; not to mention your judgment, reaction time, coordination, and balance. Dress for success protect your arms, hands, legs, feet, eyes, and head. You are exposed to the wind, the sun, bugs, dust, and if there is a collision you are vulnerable to the roadway itself and other vehicles. Good riding gear can greatly minimize injury in the event of a mishap. We are all road users cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, and pedestrians. Let s practice sharing the road. Your Motorist Awareness Coordinator, Carl & Kaye Maier

4 April Is Distracted Driving Awareness Month Cell phones, navigation screens, car stereos or even eating while behind the wheel they all add up to distracted driving, and that can lead to serious accidents or fatalities. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): In 2015, 3,477 people were killed, and 391,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. During daylight hours, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones while driving. That creates enormous potential for deaths and injuries on U.S. roads. Teens were the largest age group reported as distracted at the time of fatal crashes. Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed. You cannot drive safely unless the task of driving has your full attention. Any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction and increases your risk of crashing. The NHTSA offers suggestions for actions we can all take right now to help keep our roads safer: Encourage teens to speak up when they see a friend driving while distracted and to share messages on social media that remind their friends, family, and neighbors not to make the deadly choice to drive distracted. Parents first have to lead by example by never driving distracted as well as have a talk with their young driver about distraction and all of the responsibilities that come with driving. Remind your teen driver that in States with graduated driver licensing (GDL), a violation of distracted-driving laws could mean a delayed or suspended license. Employers can have a significant impact on driving behavior by making distracted driving awareness part of the company s workplace safety culture: Establish company policies regarding cell phone use in company vehicles. Make distracted driving the topic of your next safety committee meeting. Adding distracted driving awareness courses to your ongoing workplace safety training schedule.

5 Underestimated sources of distraction James Bond can drive at full speed while making phone calls, navigating, firing at his rivals, or performing dangerous overtaking maneuvers while avoiding a hostile hail of bullets. Of course, that s all just pretense: 007 is sitting in his car in front of a green screen, or his car is being moved by another vehicle. The average driver greatly underestimates his or her own ability when it comes to multitasking. Research has shown that completing several activities at once while driving always leads to more driving errors. Be it an attempt to swat an insect, getting into a panic about a wasp or spider, calming the barking dog, helping the children in the back seat, or animated discussions with passengers all of these distract the driver s attention from the road. Behavioral dynamics in your own car play a far greater role than is often realized. When the dog barks or the child cries, glances in the rearview mirror are focused on them rather than on traffic. Studies have shown that driving with babies and younger children in the car leads to a lot of eye contact with kids. While these are often mere glances in the rear-view mirror, significantly more time is spent looking away from the road. Distracting activities are often carried out when waiting at red traffic lights with the driver s best intention of not compromising road safety. However, inner-city intersections are a spot where traffic conditions change extremely rapidly. Cyclists, in particular, are often not spotted. While waiting at the light, the driver types a number into the cellphone, updates the navigator, or lights a cigarette. The light then changes to green more quickly than expected, and the driver moves forward before even properly looking at the road. The cigarette is still smoked to the end, the text message is completed. Another lesson: distraction increases the risk of accidents in precisely those places where the driver considers them to be most harmless. According to current research, distracting activities at the wheel take up one fifth of driving time. One in ten road traffic accidents is caused primarily by driver distraction. In order to avoid accidents, the experts of the AZT recommend: keep your eyes on the road, your hands on the wheel and your mind should focus on the task of driving. Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser, CEO of the Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) Happy Birthday & Anniversary to ALL April & May Birthdays 4/8 Marilyn Hough 4/14 Jan Jones 4/17 Don Brown 4/27 Steve Elliott 5/12 Darrell Gorman 5/26 Mark Cummings April & May Anniversaries 4/30 Tom & Judy Dodds

6 Gold Wing Road Riders Association Chapter WA-M ~ Social Calendar April 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 April Thursday Socials Hosted by: Bob & Donna Whitworth 2 3 Chapter M s Coffee & Maybe a Carl Jr s 9 am 2208 South 1 st St Yakima 4 5 Thursday Social Bob s Burgers & Brews 121 N Fair Ave 6 7 Multi Chapter Meeting 9 am Branding Iron Restaurant US 97 Toppenish, WA Chapter M s Coffee & Maybe a Carl Jr s 9 am 2208 South 1 st St Yakima Thursday Social Ding Ho 1502 W Washington Ave Chapter M s Coffee & Maybe a Carl Jr s 9 am 2208 South 1 st St Yakima Thursday Social Old Town Pump 3716 Main St Union Gap Chapter M s Coffee & Maybe a Carl Jr s 9 am 2208 South 1 st St Yakima Thursday Social VFW 118 South 5 th Ave May 1 Chapter M s Coffee & Maybe a Carl Jr s 9 am 2208 South 1 st St Yakima 2 May Thursday Socials Hosted by: Arlie & Sherre Holden 3 Thursday Social Old Town Station 2530 main St Union Gap 4 5 Fun Run No Chapter WA-M Meeting

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8 Gold Wing Road Riders Association Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge National Staff gwrra.org President & Wingman Director of Rider Education Director of Membership Enhancement Director of GWRRA University Director of Finance Director of Motorist Awareness Executive Director Overseas Anita & JR Alkire Tim & Anna Grimes Larry & Penny Anthony Clara & Fred Bolt Randall & Janet Drake Mike & Barri Critzman Dan & Rachel Sanderovich Washington District Staff District Director Garry & Maxine Alexander Assistant Director West & East Bob & Becky Minor Assistant Director West & East Jesse & Eva Valentine District Treasurer Mike & Bijou White District Rider Educator Dennis & Terri Black Assistant District Rider Educator OPEN District Motorist Awareness Vic Par District Leadership Trainers Roy & Pearl McKenzie District Membership Coordinators OPEN District Web Master Ted Moore District Newsletter Editor Vic Parr Vendor Coordinators OPEN District Secretary June Dutton Fun Coordinator Bijou White District Ambassador OPEN Washington Chapter M Chapter Director Sherre & Arlie Holden sherreholden@hotmail.com Assistant Chapter Director Darrell & Elaine Gorman egorman257@gmail.com Chapter Treasurer Mark Cummings Chapter Couple 2018 Roy & Joyce Cummings Chapter Individual 2018 Darrell Gorman egorman257@gmail.com Social/Membership Enhancement Wally & Anna Wallingford annawalingford53@gmail.com Ride Coordinator OPEN Web Master Doug Butler doug.butler.cpa@gmail.com Newsletter Editor Sherre & Arlie Holden sherreholden@hotmail.com

9 Chapter Gatherings Date & Place Chapter WA-A 4 th 9 am Kent, WA Chapter WA-B 1 st 9 am Bremerton, WA Chapter WA-D 2 nd 830 am Aberdeen, WA Chapter WA-E 3 rd 8 am Kenmore, WA Chapter WA-H Chapter WA-I 3 rd 830 am Lacey, WA Chapter WA-L 2 nd 10 am Pasco, WA Chapter WA-M 1 st 9 am Toppenish, WA Chapter WA-N 3 rd 10 am Spokane, WA Chapter WA-O 4 th 9 am Bremerton, WA Chapter WA-P 3 rd 9 am Kalama, WA Chapter WA-Q 2 nd 9 am Spanaway, WA Chapter WA- R 1 st 9 am Walla Walla, WA Chapter WA-V 1 st 7 pm Auburn, WA Chapter WA-X 1 st 10 am Vancouver, WA Chapter WA-Z 2 nd 830 am Napavine, WA Chapter OR-I 2 nd 830 am Oregon City, OR Chapter OR-G 3 rd 745 am Salem OR Chapter OR-H 4 th 10 am Hermiston OR Chapter ID-B 1 st 6 pm Lewiston ID Chapter ID-E 4 th 9 am Idaho Falls, ID Chapter ID-H 3 rd 9 am Coeur d Alene, ID Chapter ID-T 1 st 6 pm Nampa ID Chapter ID-G 1 st 9 am & 3 rd 6 pm Twin Falls, ID

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23 Wing Ding 40 August 28th - September 1st 2018 Registration Information: Print & Mail Application Online Registration or Call

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