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It appears many of the recent motorcycle fatalities have involved older riders with many being single-vehicle accidents. As a current motorcycle rider and former Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) certified and Maine licensed rider coach, I would like to suggest to my riding contemporaries to take MSF-certified riding courses.
There are numerous schools in Maine that offer these courses. If someone is a new rider, they should take a basic course and learn how to ride correctly and safely. If someone is an experienced rider, they should periodically take an advanced course. For us older riders, we need to recognize that we are not as sharp as we once were and an advanced course gives us an opportunity to improve our riding skills.
My most recent course was last year at the age of 69. In addition to honing my riding skills, I also gained the peace of mind in knowing that an unbiased instructor was evaluating my capability to ride safely. Taking these courses is no guarantee of survivability and they do cost money. However, the cost of a course is much cheaper than an accident and it may provide that little extra knowledge to keep a rider out of trouble.
Stephen Burciaga
Monroe