140 MPH 'JOY RIDE' - LANDS AIRMAN AND FRIENDS IN JAIL

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Keith Cole
  • 1st Special Operations Support Squadron
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFSOCNS) --  Police radar clocked us traveling in excess of 140 mph. That proved fast enough to earn me and my motorcycle buddies a trip to jail.

While I won't say I enjoyed being incarcerated, I can say in hindsight that the officers that put us behind bars probably saved our lives.

Our day of reckoning started with a noble cause. I had planned on helping someone in need by supporting a motorcycle charity ride Aug. 17 in Mobile, Ala. A group of us prepared to leave Fort Walton Beach, Fla., around 8 that night to meet up with other riders from the local community.

On the way to Mobile, I noticed the posted 70 mph speed limit sign on Interstate 10. Our group was already traveling at a speed greater than that, and frankly, greater than what would be deemed safe. That's when we encountered the Alabama state troopers and were arrested for reckless driving.

First and foremost, I would like to apologize for my actions on that day. Riding motorcycles can be dangerous when using good judgment. That risk increases exponentially when you start making dumb decisions.

Ironically, I attended the motorcycle safety course and have been riding motorcycles for more than 20 years. Why would someone with that much experience choose to cruise at such a dangerous speed?

The fact is, I got caught up in the moment, and I felt invincible. I never believed anything bad would happen to me.

I was wrong.

My friends and I were very lucky to just be stopped and taken to jail. If we were able to continue on, who knows what might have happened? We could have died or harmed others.

As I sat in the police station, I had time to reflect back to my best friend who had been traveling on a motorcycle and accelerated to a speed of 170 mph. He ended up hitting a car and died at the scene of the mishap. That could have been me.

Not only did I let myself down that day, I let down the people who put their faith in me to make the right decisions ... from my wife, to my kids, to my co-workers.

Not only was I jailed, but I ended up on the local TV news and had to pay fines, court costs and attorney fees. Sure I am embarrassed, ashamed and angry with myself, but this was a far better scenario than my family getting a phone call telling them I'd been killed or seriously injured in a motorcycle accident ... especially under the circumstances.

I'm so thankful that I was able to return home later to my wife and kids.

I hope this message hits home to all motorcycle riders and helps them understand younger riders are not the only ones capable of using poor judgment. Experienced riders like me can fall into the same trap.