6 on NC side and 3 on The Tn Side. This is from TheDailyTimes.Com
Way too many fatalities:’ Event aims to curb cycle of death on The Dragon
By Mark Boxley
of The Daily Times Staff
Originally published: August 09. 2009 3:01AM
Last modified: August 09. 2009 12:33AM
Among the roars of motorcycle engines at Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort Saturday, a group of tents and people wearing orange T-shirts asking riders to be safe were on hand as part of Motorcycle Safety Awareness Day.
Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort is located in North Carolina, just one mile south of the Tennessee border on U.S. 129 — and is on a section of the road known around the world as The Dragon (11.1 miles of road with 318 curves that brings riders to the area by the thousands).
General manager Ben Steinberg said things have just become too dangerous on The Dragon, with a small number of reckless riders putting many others in danger. The hope of Saturday’s event was to get people to slow down, be safe and keep the rides from turning into bad ones.
“We find that we really want to try and educate riders of all kinds to ride a little safer and ride within their abilities so that we have less issues on the back end,” Steinberg said. “You know, at the end of the day this is supposed to be a lot of fun and enjoyment and we’ve found lately that we’re having a few more issues with wrecks and people that aren’t being respectful to themselves and other folks.
“We just want to try and bring it to the forefront and help people realize that this isn’t just a little run down the road, this is a tough area to hang out in.”
So far this year there have been six fatal accidents on the North Carolina side and three on the Dragon.
“And we felt that number, nine, was way too many fatalities for a place where everybody is supposed to be enjoying themselves,” Steinberg said.
A big part of the event was the booths where gear sellers showed off boots, gloves, helmets and many other pieces of safety equipment.
Peter Flanagan, parts manager with Destination MotorCycles of Lenoir City, said that making sure other riders can see you on the Dragon is key.
“Visibility is very important, you get a big problem up here with lane crossing,” he said. “The sooner they see somebody the sooner they can realize they need to be back in their lane.
“The sooner you can be seen the sooner people can try to react to you.”
Francois Saint Laurent, with Friendsville-based Dual Sport Touring, said that wearing good gear can save a rider’s life — while not wearing gear can make a minor accident a serious one.
“If you’ve got a lot of good quality gear on and something were to happen, you might just get up and go home,” he said. “If you’re in sneakers, and a T-shirt and shorts, you’re not going home, even if you fall in the parking lot.”
Steve Minton and his son Seth, of Alcoa, pulled into the event after Seth’s very first ride on the Dragon.
His father, Steve, said taking it easy is the best way to have a good time on the road.
“For us we just took it slow,” he said. “There’s people who act a fool out here and that’s their business if they’re going to act that way, I usually pull over and let them go, I’m concerned more about my safety and (Seth’s) safety than anything out here.”
Love Sisk, a rescue technician with the Blount County Volunteer Rescue Squad, said that simply obeying the law will go a long way to keeping safe on a motorcycle.
“It doesn’t matter what you’re driving, the important thing is to stay in your own lane,” she said, noting that the BCVRS usually makes one to two trips to the Dragon a day on the weekends for wrecks. “It’s fun to ride ... but be safe. Come up here, ride with some sense.”
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Topic: To Many Deaths On The Dragon (Read 2883 times)