On a spring evening in 2006, Josh Wheeler left his sister’s home in American Fork and walked a few short steps to his Harley-Davidson.

They were the last steps he’d ever take.

Wheeler’s mother had driven down from Oregon to see his brother’s graduation from BYU the day earlier. On Saturday, April 29, the family met in American Fork.

When the get-together ended, Wheeler headed back to Provo, where he was a student at BYU. Several weeks later he woke up in a hospital. The driver of another vehicle was supposed to yield to oncoming traffic.

“I was the oncoming traffic,” Wheeler said. “I know people who crashed going 70 mph and walked away from it. I was only going 30 mph and I didn’t walk away from it.”

Just a few blocks from his family gathering, while still in American Fork, Wheeler was struck by a vehicle making a left-hand turn at an intersection. The accident left him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Jeff Nigbur, the public information officer for the Utah Highway Patrol, is in charge of the motorcycle police.

“Intersections are the most deadly place for motorcycles.” Nigbur said. “Don’t assume anything. They may pull right in front of you even if you think they see you.”

Wheeler encourages all drivers to double check for motorcycles, scooters and bicycles before they make a turn.

Captain Cliff Argyle of the Provo Police Department said he encourages riders to realize their own limitations and to not buy a motorcycle or scooter they can’t handle. He also encourages riders to drive defensively.

“I know a man who drives like he is invisible,” Argyle said. “In a lot of accidents the car or truck will say they never saw the motorcycle.”

According to Utah’s “Motorcycle Operator Manual,” eye contact is no guarantee the driver will yield.

“Too often, a driver looks right at a motorcyclist and still fails to ‘see’ him or her,” the manual reads. “The only eyes that you can count on are your own. If a car can enter your path, assume that it will. Good riders are always ‘looking for trouble’ — not to get into it, but to stay out of it.”

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation, in its manual “Riding Tips,” states that using your headlight while riding can greatly reduce accidents.

“All motorcycle headlamps in recent years are hard-wired, which means that the headlight goes on whenever the engine goes on. If you have an earlier model, turn that headlight on every time you are out,” according to the MSF.

Wheeler said he feels his life was saved because he was wearing a helmet.

“If I hadn’t had my helmet on, my skull would have been destroyed,” he said. “I was very fortunate to have it on.”

The manual reports that one of every five motorcycle crashes results in head or neck injures and those injuries account for the majority of serious and fatal injuries to motorcyclists.

“Most riders are riding slower than 30 mph when a crash occurs. At these speeds, helmets can cut both the number of and the severity of head injuries by half.”

The manual also reported, “no matter what the speed, helmeted riders are three times more likely to survive head injuries than those not wearing helmets at the time of the crash.”

Nigbur advises motorcyclists to constantly be aware of their surroundings.

“Watch what people are doing in their vehicles and don’t stay in someone’s blind spot,” Nigbur said.

Some riders don’t wear helmets because they feel it limits their vision or because they feel the trip is so short it doesn’t warrant wearing a helmet.

According to the manual “most crashes happen on short trips (less than five miles long), just a few minutes after starting out.”

The manual continues by stating that an approved helmet lets you see as far to the sides as necessary.

“A study of more than 900 motorcycle crashes, where 40 percent of the riders wore helmets, did not find even one case in which a helmet kept a rider from spotting danger.”

Josh Wheeler is still enrolled at BYU and is now majoring in exercise science. Three years after the accident, he still speaks passionately to those choosing to ride motorcycles, scooters and bicycles.

“They need to be as careful as possible. As careful as you may be, there are people out there that won’t be careful. If you’re riding safely, you might be able to get out of the way of cars.”

Michael Cowdell is the chief instructor for the Learn to Ride program at the Harley-Davidson dealership in Salt Lake City. Cowdell said the two most important things to remember are proper gear and remaining alert.

“First and foremost is protective gear. Wear an appropriate helmet and an appropriate jacket with long sleeves. Don’t ride in cut-offs and sandals,” Cowdell said. “Be alert. Never get on a motorcycle unless you have your head 100 percent in the game. Stresses from work or home affect your ability to pay attention. Motorcycles are a lot of fun but you have to pay attention.”



Copyright Brigham Young University 30 Mar 2009