Opening scene of Semper Ride
I’ve blogged previously about the folks in the armed forces, the increased number of motorcycle accidents and dealer responsibility. The military draws many parallels with motorcycling and with overtly male-dominated advertising the stats are very clear.
Military personnel have a higher fatality rate than the civilian population which is too high! In fact, Yamaha launched and I commend them for doing so, an ad campaign specifically targeted to members of the military due to the increased number of riding accidents. And let us not forget that the amount of female military personnel on active duty has increased from a 1.4% in 1970 to over 15% to today. Although women make up only 10% of all riders they represent about 25% of new motorcycle purchases.
In a broad effort to promote more responsible riding the U.S. Marines have produced Semper Ride, a film and web site designed to catch the attention of young soldiers. The seven minute movie combines big-action and a message on riding safety from stars such as Jason Britton, Keith Code, Jeremy McGrath and James Stewart. The movie from One Eyed Bird Entertainment, uses a mix of educational and rider-to-rider advice from experts in freestyle motocross, racing and stunt riding.
The movie is very effective in conveying the message of riding responsibly, no matter what your experience level. After watching it I felt compelled to purchase a dirt bike and hit Sand Lake!
Photo courtesy of U.S. Marines.
“…catch the attention of young soldiers.”
We are not soldiers, we are Marines.
Great story though. Thanks for blogging this one.
Keep up the good work.
As a former Marine I can relate to the invincible feeling you get coming out of boot camp and infantry training. The instructors build you up into a machine like state of mind and you feel indestructible, which is what they want out of a grunt. I conquered a fear of heights in boot camp at the rappelling tower and have tempted fate since then. It isn’t until you first see real injury and bloodshed that the spell starts to wear off. I haven’t seen combat but I have seen people injured in accidents. Marines tend to be the more tough and aggressive types and probably ride motorcycles the way they fight…… full throttle, hard-core, do or die and gung-ho. I can see the reasoning behind the story. I’m older now with a civilian job and a family but on the road the old hard charging spirit groans a little and I have to feed it a little danger sometimes….. just not too much anymore.
mac, that was one of the more outstanding mc information safety videos ever. i thoroughly dug it, alot. thank you. i hope/wish ALL motor vehicle drivers would see it.
The Marines specifically have been cracking down on motorcycle safety for at least the last 5 years that I can remember. The requirement for the MSF courses has always been there, but was never enforced until the number of fatalitites went up.
Personal opinion: Not a fan of the safety gear, didn’t like it before the Corps, still don’t like it now.