Up: To the motorcycle training program at Southern Illinois University for helping motorcyclists more safely navigate the streets and roads for 50 years. The program began as a master’s degree project by Larry Lindauer, a graduate student at the SIU Safety Center. With the help of Dale Ritzel, now health education professor emeritus, he developed a cycle safety seminar for traffic safety educators.

 

Up: To Officer Technician Alta “Lauren” Gunawan, who became the first female member of the U.S. Secret Service Motorcade Support Unit. The Secret Service is made up of about 7,000 special agents, officers and specialists who provide protection to the president, vice president and foreign dignitaries in addition to investigating financial crime. The motorcycle unit is responsible for stopping traffic as the motorcade approaches to allow the protectee to safely pass.

 

Up: To AMA member Cheryl Stewart for getting a plug for motorcycles into a Politico story about improving transportation in American cities. Stewart, founder of Riders Against Congestion in New York, said, “The best congestion reduction technique for New York City would be to incentivize motorcycles and motor scooters.”