On the Scene
This section describes the On the Scene articles from previous issues. If you would like to order the magazine in which an article appeared, please fill out the subscription form by checking the "Back Issue" box and indicating the appropriate month.
On the Scene is provided by the California Highway Patrol and the Washington State Patrol to make motorcyclists more aware of the dangers involved in the exciting and satisfying sport of motorcycling. There are those who learn from the mistakes of others, and then there are the others. Read On the Scene and learn!
August 2011—Washington Avoid A Vehicle's Blind Spot
It was beautiful start to a summer morning in the inland northwest that found this male rider on his late-model Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The rider was wearing a leather riding jacket, jeans, leather gloves, and a full-face DOT-approved helmet. It was a fairly typical mid-week commute with medium traffic and no collisions or blocking issues. The freeway runs east/west with three lanes in each direction that are divided by white skip lines and bordered on the left and right by solid fog lines. Dividing the east and west lanes is a cement barrier and the posted speed limit is 60 mph…
January 2012—California Keep A Safe Following Distance
It was a cloudy, dry, cold winter day when a rider was riding her 2010 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail motorcycle in moderate traffic conditions. Due to the cold weather, the rider was wearing a leather riding suit, leather gloves, and a full-face DOT-approved helmet. The freeway is an east/west aligned concrete freeway, with a speed limit of 65 mph. The roadway at this location consists of four lanes of travel separated by broken white lines and raised roadway reflectors. It is bordered on the north by a painted yellow line and a raised concrete center divider wall. On the south, it is bordered by a solid painted white line, a ten-foot-wide asphalt right shoulder, and a concrete sound wall…
December 2011—Washington Bridge Freezes before Road Surface
Fall in the inland northwest can and does bring a myriad of weather conditions from sun to rain to snow to ice. On this crisp clear morning, the sun was just starting to come up after what had been a colder than normal evening…
November 2011—California Riding Over Obstacles
On a clear, warm, summer afternoon, a rider was riding his 2009 BMW RT1200RT motorcycle in light freeway traffic. The freeway at this location is aligned in a north/south direction, composed of five lanes of travel which are divided by raised ceramic reflectors, bordered by a concrete jersey wall along the center divider, and has a concrete sound wall along the right shoulder. The maximum speed limit at this location is 65 mph…
October 2011—Washington Don't Ignore Curve Speed Warnings
A warm July day in the inland northwest found a rider enjoying a ride on his Kawasaki 1500 on a rural highway in northeastern Washington. The male rider, who was wearing a DOT-approved helmet and appropriate riding gear, was in his early 60s with years of riding experience. He was traveling westbound on a two-lane state highway that is divided only by a double yellow line, and has a speed limit of 50 mph. The road in this location starts up a moderately steep but short incline before making a sharp left. Prior to this location there are two traffic control signs, both of which indicate a sharp corner with a suggested speed of 35 mph…
September 2011—California Riding + Alcohol = Passenger Fatality
It was clear, dry, warm, summer evening when a rider and his passenger were on the on-ramp of an east/west aligned freeway. At this location, the on-ramp curves to the right and the freeway has a collector road to facilitate the entering and exiting of vehicles on the freeway. The collector road runs parallel to the freeway and is bordered by raised concrete curbs on both sides. The recommended speed for this on-ramp is 25 mph, which is depicted by a sign at the base of the on-ramp…
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