Charity ride crashes show why vigilance is always needed

It's great to participate in these events and support a good cause, but it's also important not to be lulled into a false sense of security. If anything, riders need to be on a higher level of alert when riding in the middle of a hundred or more other motorcycles on public roads. Two recent incidents that happened on the same day show that.

One incident occurred during the Riding for the Cure fundraiser in western Pennsylvania. The annual ride raises money to help cancer survivors. Due to a detour, the ride was on a side road that was not part of the original route. One rider crashed and others had to take action to avoid the downed motorcycle. Several riders were injured, four of them seriously, according to local media reports.

The second incident occurred in Indianapolis during the Helping Heroes Freedom Ride 465, an event that raises money to support hospitalized military veterans and first responders and their families. The ride takes place on I-465, the beltway that circles the city, and the crash occurred on I-70, which connects with 465.

"The chain reaction crash began when a white passenger vehicle cut in between some of the riders, causing one motorcyclist to take evasive action, striking another motorcycle," according to a statement from the Indiana State Police. Two other riders then crashed trying to avoid the collision. The car left the scene and was not identified.

Police said six people were taken to the hospital. According to a post on the organization's Facebook page, a young couple were the most seriously injured. They have a two-year-old child and the woman is pregnant with their second child, according to the post.

The lessons learned

My point in mentioning these two examples is certainly not to discourage you from participating in organized charity event rides. These events that motorcyclists do to raise money for good causes is one of the rare moments of positive public relations for motorcycling. Beyond that, they can also be fun.

But I also know from experience that it can be just as risky, if not even more so, to ride in a large, closely spaced group, even at a moderate speed, as it is to ride alone. As we see from these two incidents, when something does go wrong, riders often have few good options. One rider's mistake, or one unexpected threat, such as the car entering the group in Indianapolis, can cause a chain reaction. We've written before about the keys to staying safe on the street, which first and foremost focus on maintaining visual awareness, recognizing threats, and having an escape route. But in a group, it may be harder to do all those things.

I think it's easy to fall into a false sense of security on group rides and let down your guard. You don't have to think about where you're going, because someone is leading the group. The pace is not challenging. It may feel like there's "safety in numbers," but if a car plows into your group, having more motorcycles around you may mean you're at greater risk, not less.

Again, by no means am I trying to discourage you from participating in group charity rides. But when you do, keep the same awareness you would normally ride with — or better yet, dial it up to an even higher level of awareness.