Off-duty motorcycle deaths spur training

updated 3:43 p.m. ET Sept. 30, 2009

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Sgt. Adam Bosley was back from his third tour of duty in Iraq and waiting to head to Afghanistan when he bought a sleek, souped-up motorcycle capable of high-speed cornering and explosive acceleration.

Days after buying the machine in August, the 29-year-old Marine was dead after he lost control of the sport bike on a San Diego highway ramp, struck a guardrail and tumbled down a ravine.

"I always knew there was a possibility he might not come back from Iraq," his mother, Carla Wilson, said from her home in O'Neill, Neb. "That's why I'm feeling a lot of anger, that it was just a motorcycle wreck."

Alarmed by hundreds of motorcycle deaths by off-duty marines, soldiers and sailors over the last several years, the military is requiring riding classes, screening riders for risky behavior, and organizing racing events for a safe adrenaline rush.

The military lost 124 members to motorcycle accidents in the fiscal year ending Sept. 1, 2008. That number dropped to 72 in the most recent fiscal year.

Motorcycle deaths are also up nationally, as bike sales and registrations rise. Deaths last year increased for the 11th straight year — from 2,116 in 1997 to an all-time high of 5,290, the National Highway Traffic Administration said.

The Army reported a 34 percent rise in motorcycle fatalities from 2007 to 2008, and the Marines and the Navy also reported significant increases.

"We don't have the luxury of losing people to preventable mishaps, that's why there's an urgent need to do something," said April K. Phillips, a Navy spokeswoman.

'Crotch rockets'
Military safety officials say nearly all of the fatal accidents occurred with riders on racing-style sport bikes. Speed, a lack of riding experience and inability to handle the high-performance motorcycles were factors in the vast majority of the crashes.

Just 20 minutes after buying a sport bike from a Boston-area dealership in May of 2008, a sailor was killed when he swerved in a sharp turn and struck a wall, the Navy said.

Last fall, a young Army soldier speeding about 100 mph died after losing control of his bike while trying to pass between a garbage truck and a van on an interstate highway near Savannah, Ga. The Army said he died four days after returning from deployment.

On Sept. 13, a 21-year-old servicewoman from Miramar Marine Corps Air Station was killed on a remote highway northeast of San Diego after her new Yamaha sport bike hit the ground on a curve, slid off the road and struck an embankment. The California Highway Patrol said she was speeding.

The so-called "crotch rockets" are known for quick acceleration, nimble handling and flashy colors. The rider is positioned aerodynamically, leaning over a powerful engine.

Freedom on open road
For young troops returning from deployment with disposable cash, the roughly $10,000 price tag presents a cheaper, appealing alternative to buying a car. Some motorcycle shops offer military discounts for parts, services and accessories.

Lonnie McKinnie, a 28-year-old gunnery sergeant at Camp Pendleton, said he bought his yellow-and-black Suzuki SXR-600 even though he had never ridden one before.

"I like the freedom on the road, you're not restricted the way you are in a car, you can cut through traffic and it's fuel efficient," McKinnie said.

It's little surprise the bikes appeal to adrenaline-seeking soldiers. What worries military brass is that young men and women underestimate their abilities to handle the machines and without training get hurt or killed.

"They live life at a higher pace than the average civilian. They jump out of perfectly safe airplanes and they enjoy it," said James Greer, a retired Army warrant officer who teaches safe riding courses at Camp Pendleton. "They survived combat and they come back and think they're invincible."

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