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NOTE:  The Idaho STAR Program has given their permission for the use of this article.  You may modify, edit or publish to meet your needs.

The Idaho STAR Program logo does not need to be included in any re-writes or publications.

Motorcycle Safety Tips

Coming Home - and the Power of Choice

by Stacey “Ax” Axmaker

Director - Idaho STAR Motorcycle Safety Program

I ride, and those who know me know I ride.  They also know that is not about to change.  And, for whatever reason, those who care about me - my fiancé, family, friends, and co-workers – want me to come home from each and every ride safely.  (I guess there’s no accounting for taste!)

We make riding choices every time we throw a leg over.  My choices about when, where, and how I ride are influenced by how much I care for the people in my life.  To be perfectly honest, I want to come home from each ride safely too – but it’s more than that.  They don’t want to lose me – and I don’t want to leave them.

Who do you have in your life that wants you to come home?  Your kids?  Your wife or husband?  Your brothers and sisters?  Your parents? Your friends?

I am free to decide how I’ll ride; not because the government tells me to; not because my riding buddies tell me to; but because I choose to.  For me, and for the ones I care about, I choose:

• To ride sober

• To ride within my own limits (skill, judgment, fatigue, etc.)

• To keep my riding skills sharp (take training, practice)

• To dress for comfort, visibility, and protection

• To wear gear that protects my body, my hands, my feet, my eyes, and my head

• To get my eyes up and look well down the road and all the way through my turns

Your choices are up to you and no one else.  It is our New Year’s Wish that all of you come home safely from each and every ride to the ones who love you.  Honor them with your choices.  To them, your life and health are the gifts that keep on giving.

Idaho STAR Motorcycle Safety Program

www.idahostar.org

208-426-5552
1-888-280-STAR (7827)