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Riders begin motorcycle awareness safety campaign

BY ADAM TESTA, The Southern

Friday, April 25, 2008 11:01 AM CDT

JACKSON COUNTY -- Charles Mallett has ridden his motorcycle more than half a million miles.

He’s had several close calls with accidents, which could have ended fatally.

He continues to see the importance of motorcycle safety from both sides of the fence.

The De Soto residents works as a sergeant for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and serves as the motorist awareness coordinator for Region E of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association, leading safety efforts in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Awareness efforts in Mallett’s department center around making drivers more aware of the fact they share the roadways with motorcyclists.

“The people on scenes I’ve been to feel devastated afterward, and if they would have stopped multi-tasking and paid attention, they wouldn’t have a cross to bear for the rest of their life,” he said.

Next month marks the annual Motorcycle Awareness Month, when Mallett and others like him across the country pull out all the stops in promoting safety and awareness. May 10 marks an important day of the campaign and Illinois motorcyclists from the top of the state to the bottom will run free windshield washing operations at rest areas.

While Mallett’s job focuses on promoting safety for other drivers on the road, the Gold Wing Road Riders also promote safety tips for motorcyclists, as well. Riders are encouraged to wear proper attire and gear, such as helmets, long sleeve shirts or jackets, gloves and over-the-ankle boots.

“We always tell riders to pretend like they’re invisible to other riders because they basically are,” he said.

Steve Gottschalk works with the organization on a more localized level, serving as assistant chapter director for Chapter Q, based out of Carbondale and serving Franklin, Jackson, Perry, Union, Randolph and Williamson counties. Chapter V2, based in Vienna, serves the remainder of Southern Illinois.

Southern Illinois University Carbondale offers a class for advanced riders to help increase proficiency of safety and other riding issues, Gottschalk said. Classes require a $10 deposit, which will be refunded upon completion of the course and certification by the state.

While banners will be hung and windshield will be washed next month, that’s far from the end of Mallet and Gottschalk’s jobs.

“May is Motorcycle Awareness Month, but this is something the motorist awareness division will do all year,” Mallett said. “Our job never stops.”