436th OG hosts Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Day Published April 26, 2010 By Airman 1st Class Shen-Chia Chu 436th AW Public Affairs DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- The 436th Operations Group hosted the Spring 2010 Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Day April 23. Approximately 50 Team Dover members participated in the event. The day was filled with a safety briefing, practice on the motorcycle range and a group ride at Dover Air Force Base. "Wing Safety is working with our motorcycle safety representatives to have more group sponsored events such as this one," said Kevin Greene, 436th Airlift Wing Safety Office Chief of Ground Safety. "In the past five years motorcycle fatalities have increased, but events like this help to create a culture of mentoring to decrease the attitude of careless riders." During Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Day, Col. David Hafer, 436th OG commander, gave opening remarks, which was then followed by a safety briefing from Master Sgt. Mike Hamblin, 436th OG C-17 evaluator and Motorcycle Safety Foundation rider coach. "This was a nice way to kickoff the riding season after a break of several months due to the winter weather," said Sergeant Hamblin. "It is important to know about motorcycle safety to help mitigate the inherent risks of riding a motorcycle because the personal protective equipment for motorcyclists is all we have other than our own riding ability to protect ourselves." As an avid motorcyclist with more than 20 years of experience, Sergeant Hamblin believes the biggest thing to remember when riding is to know one's abilities and to ride within their limit. "My advice for new and old riders would be to constantly try to improve your skill by attending a motorcycle education course or just going out and practicing," said Sergeant Hamblin. "Talk to other people about riding and the lessons they've learned so you don't have to go through the lessons yourself."