News

State police motorcycle unit seen as big success

Posted January 01, 2008 10:00 pm

Jayette Bolinski

The Illinois State Police has discovered a sure-fire way to get people to stop and talk to troopers.

They put them on motorcycles.

"We thought people weren't going to like us, but I couldn't have been more wrong," said Lt. Scott Abbott, who oversees the state police motorcycle enforcement bureau.

"Everywhere we go, we get thumbs up. It's impossible to stop and fuel your motorcycle without somebody coming over and talking to you about motorcycle patrol and what you're doing."

Sgt. Diane VanderKooy, a motorcycle trooper based in Springfield, has been there.

"They'll come up to you and ask you about your bike, but you'll get in there, 'Are you wearing your seat belts today?' and 'How'd you get here?' " she said.

"It's nice talking to people, and they always have some kind of vehicle code question. And so, whereas they might never have gotten that answered, now they feel a lot more comfortable coming up and talking to us with that bike there."

The motorcycle enforcement bureau, rolled out in June 2005, has a primary mission: to enforce the state's driving laws in an effort to cut down on crashes and fatalities on the highways. The troopers in the unit have written more than 70,000 traffic tickets during that time, and the troopers based in central Illinois are among the most prolific ticket-writers in the bureau.

But a secondary mission has unfolded during the last 2 1/2 years. Members of the unit find themselves in something of a public relations role, particularly with the heightened popularity of motorcycle riding.

It's something they are embracing, with an eye in 2008 toward more educational programs and an emphasis on helping novice motorcycle riders - as well as other drivers - understand good riding skills and what to expect from motorcycles on the highways.

Their timing couldn't be much better. The U.S. Department of Transportation in October issued an "action plan to reduce motorcycle fatalities" to address a surge in deaths that has been on the rise since 1997. According to the report, motorcycle fatalities in 2006 exceeded the number of pedestrian fatalities for the first time since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began collecting fatal vehicle crash numbers in 1975.

In 2005, the fatality rate was 73 per 100,000 registered motorcycles, while the fatality rate for passenger vehicles was 14 per 100,000 registrations.

"This trend has been so pronounced that motorcycle fatalities have for all practical purposes offset the gain in lives saved resulting from higher seat belt use and improved passenger vehicle safety," the report reads. "Motorcycle rider fatalities now account for 11 percent of total fatalities, and dramatically affect the nation's overall highway fatality rate."

The state police, along with the Illinois Department of Transportation, want to reverse the trends by turning their attention to younger riders, as well as riders in their 50s - baby boomers who are purchasing motorcycles in record numbers.

An average of 12,530 new motorcycles are registered in Illinois every year.

National data shows that younger riders, from ages 20 to 29, account for the highest number of fatalities each year, but those over 40 have seen the greatest increases in fatalities since 1997.

"We know there continues to be a huge increase of motorcycles registered in Illinois. Whether or not those are all new riders, we don't know, but we believe that they are," Abbott said.

"With the fuel prices being the way they are, we only think that is going to continue to go up. So you're going to start seeing more and more motorcycles out there, which means you're going to be seeing more inexperienced riders out there."

Abbott said the motorcycle officers plan to show up at motorcycle rallies and other events where bikers show up in large numbers to talk to them about safety. They also will talk to drivers about motorcycle awareness.

The bureau may get a traveling educational trailer that will have bikes that were crashed by a younger person and crashed by a mid-life person to get people to pay attention to the message.

"Motorcycles are obviously a lot harder to see, and people need to pay attention to driving. There are a lot of distractions out there - your children in the back seat, your cell phone ringing, your MP3 player - and you've got to pay attention to the road if you want to get there safely," said Trooper Dan Carter, with the motorcycle bureau.

"The other stuff can wait. Just keep in mind that motorcycles are hard to see. Hopefully, if you're riding a motorcycle. you're going to be aware of these things, but unfortunately that's not always the case."

Meanwhile, the unit will continue to go after scofflaws. Buckle that seat belt, ease up on the gas pedal, move over when you see an emergency vehicle on the shoulder and don't drink and drive, the troopers say.

"Our hope was that people would start looking for motorcycles if for no other reason the fear of enforcement - 'I need to start looking for these guys because they're hiding everywhere,'" Abbott said.

"We haven't done any statistical studies, but I know anecdotally talking to people, they tell me, 'Oh, I'm looking behind trash barrels, I'm looking behind billboards,' and, 'Oh, I thought I saw one of your guys the other day, but it turned out it was a guy on a Goldwing.' And I always tell them, 'But for 30 seconds, it was one of my guys, wasn't it, and you slowed down.'"

Jayette Bolinski can be reached at (217) 788-1530 or jayette.bolinski@sj-r.com.

SIDEBAR

By JAYETTE BOLINSKI

STAFF WRITER

The Illinois State Police's motorcycle enforcement bureau has been in place for 2 1/2 years now. Some naysayers predicted it wouldn't work out - that it would be plagued by accidents and laziness.

However, the unit appears to be working well. Its officers have written thousands of tickets in an attempt to get motorists to drive safely, accidents have been few, and the troopers find themselves chatting with curious motorists on a regular basis, which gives them a chance to spread the word about motorcycle safety and awareness.

The following are what the unit says are some common misperceptions:

Perception: Illinois is crawling with state police motorcycle cops.

Reality: Not so, says the Illinois State Police, but thanks for noticing. The agency rolled out its motorcycle enforcement bureau in June 2005 with 42 troopers based all over the state. There currently are 34 motorcycle officers, but the agency expects to train more this spring. The officers have created kind of an "omnipresence," which makes people think there are more of them than there actually are, said Lt. Scott Abbott, supervisor of the bureau.

Perception: Motorcycles are just toys for troopers who don't want to do real police work.

Reality: Actually, they're not all that fun during the miserable Illinois summers and winters. Sweat and road grime leave the troopers feeling less than fresh at the end of an August day, and they buy a lot of their own cold-weather gear to keep warm. Their bikes must be wiped down every morning because the troopers' first assignment could be a special detail, a funeral or an escort. Because so many people do approach them to chat, the troopers want to appear pulled-together, with clean bikes and polished boots.

Perception: Motorcycles are accidents waiting to happen.

Reality: The motorcycle bureau has had only three accidents since its inception. Two were minor, and one resulted in the trooper being seriously injured. The accident rate is far better than that of troopers who drive squad cars, Abbott said.

Perception: Police motorcycles can only be used eight months of the year.

Reality: The bureau does not arbitrarily pick a date each year to cut off or start up motorcycle patrols. "There are many days in January and February and December that are nice days. They're cool, but still you can ride," Abbott said. "The southern platoons are going to get more actual ride time in than Chicago, where they have to deal with a lot more inclement weather." When the weather is bad or too dangerous for riding, the motorcycle troopers hit the highways in squad cars.

Perception: Motorcycles just aren't as useful as patrol cars.

Reality: Wrong, says Abbott. "They're very maneuverable, they're very agile, they're very easy to conceal so we can hide them in places, and they're able to get around very quickly," he said. "And in the cases when crashes do occur in heavily populated areas or when traffic gets backed up and we can't even get there, they're a great tool for accident response. Once we're there, we're able to help clear traffic and get things rolling again."

Perception: But motorcycle troopers can't assist motorists or take people to jail.

Reality: True, says Abbott, but that's not really the mission of the motorcycle bureau. Motorcycle troopers focus on enforcing the rules of the road, especially those that regularly contribute to fatal crashes - things like seatbelt use, speeding and drunken driving. Sure, they can't retrieve a gas can for a stranded motorist or haul a wanted driver to jail, but they can get help for those things from troopers driving squad cars.

Perception: The unit robs districts of needed troopers.

Reality: When the unit got off the ground, district troopers who were chosen to participate were replaced by a cadet fresh out of the academy. And there's a bonus.

"When the motorcycle guys go into a district, it's clearly a supplement to what they're doing. What a great asset, because now you've got four or five extra guys in your district to help out," Abbott said.

"This time of year when ice storms hit a district ... I have the luxury of sending the whole platoon over there, saying, 'Hey, go help District 9. They got hit with a horrible ice storm.' Now they've got five extra guys showing up to help handle crashes, and that's significant."

Perception: It's too expensive to have a motorcycle bureau.

Reality: You be the judge. The unit's budget is $335,000, which is paid for by the Illinois Department of Transportation. That covers leases for the bike, maintenance and equipment. Payroll comes out of the state's general revenue fund.

Perception: It'll never last.

Reality: Well, the pros far outweigh the cons, Abbott says. The riders are safe and competent. It's cheaper to run the leased bikes than to fuel and run squad cars that the agency owns. And there has been no reduction in patrol coverage.

"There are no negative aspects associated with the unit," he said.

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