Hopefully I can better explain this for you gents so you have a better understanding of what's going on. I'm career Navy so I can't speak for the Army or Air Force, merely what I'm seeing for the Navy and Marine Corps. Our side of the house has taken a VERY SERIOUS look this starting about 5 or so years ago. Kids are kids and inexperienced riders are simply inexperienced. Now you throw on top of that someone that just came into the military and was nearly immediately shipped overseas for a year to march through the sands. They come back with not only a ton of cash but also pent up energy and feeling of being invincible. They buy the fastest bike they can find (never riden before mind you) and end up being shovelled off the pavement by the time the first weekend is over. That's what really started all this. The military has always has regulations on what to wear and such (and I'll get to that shortly), but this is what really kicked it into high gear.
Regarding gear, we have changed some over the years, but currently it's not all that bad; we pretty much fall in lines with the MSF: approved DOT helmet w/ eye protection, long sleeves, gloves, pants and hard-sole shoes that protect the ankles. Yeah, by law we're supposed to wear something reflective if riding at night but no big deal.
We are required to take the Basic MSF course before we EVER ride a bike. We have to take the Experienced MSF course every 3 years after that. And, if you ride a sport bike one must take that course also; although I'm unsure if it's a one time deal or repeatative. The Basic is common sense...ensuring our warriors simply know how to ride instead of trying to figure it out when it's too late. The retaking of the Experienced course makes sure those basic skills remain fresh. A lot of people won't ride for years then climb back on; they can be just as dangerous. It brings back sound skills and really gets you comfortable with your own bike.
For the focus groups, anyone who knows me knows that I am not a touchy feely kind of b--ch. But, I think there can be some success in this. At least in the Navy/Marine Corps we have programs set up where the more experienced riders mentor and coach newer riders. It's not a big deal; we do it here in the forums all the time. With the focus groups, simply, you cannot fix the problem if you don't know exactly the problem is. And that's what they're trying to get at. We, the military, are doing so much to try to prevent all these motorcycle related deaths and still losing the battle. I find there's nothing wrong with asking for help to try and find a better solution. I fully understand that up front it seems touchy feely BS that's a huge waste of time and money. But if it saves one Commanding Officer from having to stand in front of momma and tell her that her son that just came back from a very successful tour of duty in Iraq 4 days ago is now dead because he slammed his crotch rocket into the back of a truck, then it was a success.
Merely my two cents.
