• 16
  • August
    2010

Senior Corporal Michael Manis is in a dangerous line of work, but work in law enforcement apparently gets even more dangerous once an officer is put on a motorcycle. To safely drive a motorcycle, most riders go through extensive training and protect themselves with the appropriate riding gear.

Those preventative measures are in bikers' control, but what is less in their control is the condition of the roads. What is not often discussed when it comes to the current recession is that cutbacks are endangering drivers and riders on our Texas roads, including trained riders such as motorcycle officers.

Officer Manis' recent crash proves that. On Monday, August 9, Officer Manis was working as part of the Dallas law enforcement team escorting President Obama to an area event. According to reports, Officer Manis got into an accident and suffered minor personal injuries when he hit a pothole on Wycliff Avenue while riding his motorcycle.

Whereas potholes can cause damage to a car and lead to an accident, the jolt is more significant to a motorcycle rider. In Officer Manis' case, he reportedly braked while hitting the pothole, which, according to sources, creates a high risk of a crash. Officer Manis was thrown from his bike but luckily did not sustain a serious personal injury.

Less fortunate motorcycle officers before Officer Manis have not been so blessed as to be able to walk away from accidents that occurred on the job. For example, when Hillary Clinton was campaigning for the U.S. presidency, a Dallas officer was killed while escorting her through the area.

His tragic death led to a requirement that Dallas motorcycle officers must drive the route of the planned escorting event. Officer Manis, therefore, did practice the route before the accident, but sources claim that the pothole he hit was so small that it likely would not have significantly worried the Dallas officers.

Officer Manis has also been thoroughly trained in his work, including having gone through motorcycle school and several weeks of field training. Also, his job escorting President Obama was not his first experience with such work.

Safety advocates in Dallas have concluded that the main problem behind Monday's accident is the fact that the city has decreased its funding for street repair by $10 million since last year. Sources also say that the current budget does not even allow for the funds to be used for fixing potholes.

Perhaps it will take a more serious personal injury or a death in order for the government to recognize the importance of street maintenance and come up with a compromise to fund safer roads. After all, after Officer Manis hit the pothole and crashed on Monday, that pothole was fixed.

Resource

The Dallas Morning News: Dallas officials blame pothole for motorcycle officer's crash during Obama's visit (8/11/2010)