Recipe for disaster
The borough of Lehighton achieved its goals in hosting another successful Bike Night last weekend.
By day's end on Saturday there were satisfied faces from both town officials and the many motorcycle enthusiasts who turned out for the event.
It just goes to prove how a well-organized and controlled environment can have positive results. Both the host community, which brought in some much needed revenue to its coffers, and the guests, who enjoyed a top-grade activity, benefitted from Bike Night.
The highly-successful Lehighton gathering contrasted the tragedy which occurred the same day during an off-road race in the Mohave Desert of Southern California. During the event, in which dozens of competitors race their trucks along a 50-mile course through the sand, a truck careened off course, crashing into a group of spectators. Eight were killed and 12 others injured.
Desert racing has always been popular in California and events for other types of off-road vehicles such as dirt bikes, ATVs and buggies often fill the weekend race calendar.
With thousands often lining the courses, some vehicles can reach speeds of over 60 mph on a 50-mile off-road course.
In Saturday's truck race, which was held on federal land, the Mohave Desert Racing organization was responsible for safety. The permit given by the Bureau of Land Management to MDR allowed for no more than 300 spectators for the event and they were required to stand back 50 feet from the course.
The truck racers were to travel no faster than 15 mph when they were within that 50 feet buffer for the fans. Virtually all of those important safety rules were broken when the deadly crash occurred.
At least 1,000 fans reportedly attended the free-admission race, there were no safety barriers or crowd control, and the truck was going faster than the designated 15 mph. But what made this a combustible recipe for disaster was the fact that the fans were allowed to stand virtually on the course allowing no room to maneuver in case of an accident.
Many in the crowd, including children, were within 10 feet of the truck when it crashed.
One young woman who may have escaped death by going to the bathroom - the friend she had been standing with was killed - stated afterward that there's always risk at going to an off-road race and that it was that kind of danger factor that appealed to many race fans.
In Saturday's tragedy, safety rules were obviously bypassed, resulting in the multiple deaths.
Michael Pearlman, president of the National Off-Road Racing Association, likened desert racing to the running of the bulls in Spain, in that people want to get as close to the bulls as they can without being gored or trampled.
I always felt that the tradition of running with the bulls in Spain was dumb, and hearing it compared to the off-road racing in the deserts of California does not surprise me. Without safety rules being enforced by race organizers and common sense being applied by spectators, the ingredients are in place for a disaster like the one that just occurred.
By Jim Zbick
jzbick@tnonline.com
