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Use situational awareness to avoid dune disaster

By Kenneth M. Kowalczyk, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center / Published August 07, 2012

Kenneth Kowalczyk, ground safety manager at the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill AFB, Utah, navigates a dune for a safe ridge slide at Knolls Off-Highway Area in western Utah. Wearing proper protective gear, being familiar with the characteristics of the area, as well as other riders in the vicinity, increase riders' chances of a safe adventure. (Courtesy photo)
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Kenneth Kowalczyk, ground safety manager at the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill AFB, Utah, navigates a dune for a safe ridge slide at Knolls Off-Highway Area in western Utah. Wearing proper protective gear, being familiar with the characteristics of the area, as well as other riders in the vicinity, increase riders' chances of a safe adventure. (Courtesy photo)

Kenneth Kowalczyk, ground safety manager at the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill AFB, Utah, demonstrates a safe heel click at the dunes of Knolls Off-Highway Area in western Utah. Kowalczyk urges riders to use situational awareness to reduce the chance of a dune disaster. (Courtesy phto)
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Kenneth Kowalczyk, ground safety manager at the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill AFB, Utah, demonstrates a safe heel click at the dunes of Knolls Off-Highway Area in western Utah. Kowalczyk urges riders to use situational awareness to reduce the chance of a dune disaster. (Courtesy phto)

Situational awareness and the right skills enable Brody Rodgers to safely jump a dune and land properly at St. Anthony Sand Dunes, Idaho. (Courtesy photo)
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Situational awareness and the right skills enable Brody Rodgers to safely jump a dune and land properly at St. Anthony Sand Dunes, Idaho. (Courtesy photo)

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HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Imagine 25,000 people gathered to go fast, pillage the sand and consume copious amounts of greasy vendor food and adult beverages. What could possibly go wrong?
 
After four days of sun and fun at the Little Sahara sand dunes in central Utah, it occurred to me that no matter how well-protected you are, when Murphy pulls your number, it's time to check out. That was the misfortune of one particular all-terrain vehicle rider who was completely decked out in proper riding gear and was introduced to the front grill of a Polaris RZR at wide-open throttle. The lifeflight helicopter was waved off upon arrival of medical personnel and the family of the ATV rider will never be the same.

Here's my point. The guy who is sipping frosty drinks with the man upstairs did nothing wrong! In fact, he was doing everything right. He used proper personal protective equipment, lights were on so oncoming traffic could see him and the ATV was properly maintained. He was just at the wrong place at the right time and Murphy stepped in.

What have we forgotten in this scenario? Situational awareness. That's right -- being aware of your surroundings can keep Murphy riding the pine or, in this case, pounding sand. I'm not saying the ATV rider was at fault but, had he paid a bit more attention to what was ahead of him, he quite possibly would be here today. Or, if the driver of the Polaris RZR adhered to the etiquette of the hill and had gone down the proper way, all this wouldn't have to be written.

Many factors arise in this typical riding situation: You get too focused on your buddy and what he's doing and smack right into a stationary object. It doesn't matter if it's a tree, rock, wall or another ATV rider. If there's a collision, someone will get hurt.

The bottom line is this: Even though we all claim to wear proper PPE when riding (whether it's motorcycles, ATVs, or bicycles) Murphy will come looking for you if you don't pay attention to what's going on around you. I'm not saying quit riding; I'm just saying pay more attention. It could save you some pain and an introduction to our enemy, Murphy!