Have you ever thought about what you would do if you have a mishap when you are far away from home? I have. After crashing last year in Arkansas, it really had me thinking about the “what ifs” of motorcycle riding.

This is the time of year when many of us are making plans to travel. July is the BMW International Rally in Pennsylvania and the Wing Ding Goldwing Rally in Knoxville, Tenn. In August there is the 71st Sturgis Rally in South Dakota. There are hundreds of other events and destinations that will take us and our bikes far from our homes.

This year, I have plans to ride off-road through Colorado and Utah. Since my crash, I’ve added a few more survival tools for my riding peace of mind.

First, you need to be prepared. It is never a good time to learn to swim while in the middle of a flood. Neither is trying to develop a plan in case you crash.

The first responder(s) should you crash, will probably be your riding buddy or buddies. My riding friends have exchanged healthcare information, phone numbers for each other’s loved ones and we tell each other where important medications will be in the event one of us needs something. This includes medications and allergic reactions medications. Also, you should know your friends blood type and any other pertinent information.

A first-aid kit has been added to my emergency supplies, which contain materi-als for hard wrecks. Let’s face it. Most first-aid kits will do nothing for a real motor-cycle crash, so we have created our own first-aid kit which will have provisions for broken limbs, ribs and/or deep cuts.

It is very possible that we will have to make it to some kind of road intersec-tion, so a GPS is a must. Knowing your location will save you time of telling first responders where to meet you if needed. If you do wreck, you will need to mark the location of your friend on your GPS. Don’t forget to do this because if you leave your friend you may not remember how to find him or her when you return.

You cannot always count on cell phone protection and during a crash, and that time may be the difference between life and death. I’ve added a SPOT Personal Tracker to my bike (www.findmespot.com) that will provide a variety of information and rescue help. With the press of a button your SPOT will transmit your location via satellite and the folks at SPOT will dispatch rescue services to your location and notify the people that you have designated on your SPOT alert list.

The SPOT will get you to a hospital but then what? What if you are too hurt to travel back home or in an unsatisfactory hospital and need transporta-tion? What if your bike is unable to be ridden? Now there is a new service called MedjetAssist. MedjetAssist offers an assistance program specifically tailored for the motorcycle rider. This unique program was developed with the help and input of motorcycle enthusiasts.

MedjetAssist is an annual membership program (not insurance) which provides the arrangement of worldwide air medical evacuation and consultation services to its enrolled members when they become hospitalized while traveling more than 150 miles from their primary residence. The evacuation benefit is good whether travel-ing in the next county, state or outside the country. The Motorcycle Protection plan can be added to any annual membership for an additional fee ($25 per year).

MedjetAssist also provides medical ICU air transport and evacuation to a hospital of your choice. They provide up to $3,500.00 for the return of your motorcycle to a shop or dealership of your choice. They will arrange to have your bike returned to you if you are physically unable to ride because of a crash.

Medjetassist is cheaper than what you would expect to pay to get your bike to a dealership (depending on where you are) so it is worth checking out. There are a host of other benefits and plans by this company. For more information and terms check out www.medjetassist.com.

With a little preparation and planning you can do a lot to help ensure you are not left high and dry.Ride Safe!

Photo: MedjetAssist is an annual membership program (not insurance) which provides the arrangement of worldwide air medical evacuation and consultation services to its enrolled members when they become hospitalized while traveling.