VIME Standard Operating Procedure in the event of a Serious Untoward Incident (SUI).
1. Introduction.
1.1. Vancouver Island Motosports Events (VIME) is the small business entity owned by Jonathan Binnington with the purpose of organising “road legal” motorcycle events run over the highway-classified gravel roads on the areas of Vancouver Island that are Crown Lands.
1.2. The nature of the events produced by VIME are accurately described as “navigation trials”. That is, the nature of each event is a long distance motorcycle journey ridden alone or in small groups following a route by map or a coded sequence of direction instructions following the style of rallysport “roadbooks”. The roadbook route may be ridden such that a riders progress against set average speeds is monitored by means of a GPS timing system.
The events are intended to be appropriate to competent adult amateur motorcyclists without any prior race or competition experience.
These events ARE NOT race or speed events.
1.3. The set average speeds will always never exceed the posted speed limits for these backcountry gravel roads - usually 60Kph but sometimes 40Kph.
1.4. This style of Motorsport is variously described as “Regularity Rally”, Time Speed Distance Rally” or “TSD”. The principle of this Motorsport is for the driver/rider to accurately navigate the course and keep as closely as possible to the set (legal) speeds.
1.5. As such, each rider is expected to ride the course alone, without speeding, overtaking other riders or competing for road position. Within the wording of the relevant BC motoring legislation and the accompanying ICBC policy document “Optional booklet”
section 3.2 E policy exclusions
1.6. VIME events are conducted on roads classified as public highways (3.2(a) ), (3.2(e)(i)). There exists NO element of race or speed test (3.2(e)(ii)).
These events ARE NOT RACE OR SPEED EVENTS.
1.7. The route elements comprising an “average speeds” monitored event will be arranged so that any time “lost” in a timed section CANNOT BE MADE UP BY SPEEDING IN SUBSEQUENT SECTIONS. In this way, any incentive for high speed, reckless or careless driving (riding) is removed by the event organiser.
1.8. Riders will receive instruction by means of written instructions, daily briefings and/or personal communication that the roads over which the event will be conducted WILL AT ALL TIMES BE OPEN TO OTHER ROAD USERS. As such, riders MUST EXPECT TO ENCOUNTER ANY VARIETY OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC AT ALL TIMES.
1.9. Event participants ride VIME events on their own ICBC insurance, licence and registration.
They will be required to sign a disclaimer at event sign-on and declare:
that they possess valid licence, insurance and registration,
that they understand that the event is not a race or speed event,
that they understand that they can expect to encounter oncoming traffic and
that they understand that they are required to operate their machine in such a manner that complies with the requirements of BC motoring legislation and
in a manner that is consistent with responsible vehicle operation.
1.10. Given that all event participants are required to hold a full motorcycle driving licence, minimum age for a BC licence is 19 years, all event participants will legally be “an adult”. Therefore there will not be any requirement for specific “Safeguarding or Protection” arrangements for children or vulnerable adults.
2. Potential sources of “Serious Untoward Incidents”
2.1. Definition of “Serious Untoward Incident” (SUI). In this context, a SUI is any occurrence that is out of the usual expectation AND has the potential to, or actually harms an individual or individuals.
2.2. Risk management quantifies SUIs by
multiplying the likelihood of a situation occurring by the likely seriousness of the consequences and
ranking the results.
Likelihood: low = 1, med = 2, high = 3
Consequence: low = 1, med = 2, high = 3
Risk management then goes further by identifying potential mitigating steps that reduce either (or both) the likelihood of a situation occurring and the seriousness of the consequences.
Finally a sequence of actions is identified in advance of the event and all participants (staff and riders) are briefed on their expected actions in the event of a SUI.
2.3. List of SUI situations.
Rider crashes. Likelihood 2 x consequence 3 = 6
Rider gets lost. Likelihood 1 x consequence 2 = 2
Individual has an episode of ill-health. Likelihood 1 x consequence 1 = 1
2.4. General mitigating factors.
Communications - face to face and telecommunications. Pre-event and daily briefings of crew and participants. Outline start, finish and Passage Control arrangements and census-taking processes. Identify obvious and notable hazards in each day’s route with work-arounds and route alternatives. Start line instructions to reiterate significant instructions. Have a working understanding of the limits of radiotelecommunications in the backcountry and the accessible alternatives such as InReach and Zoleo SOS satellite calling and recent-model iPhone satellite sms messaging.
VIME event organisation will have a “event management method” that tracks the last known position of riders into sections of each day’s route and have motorcycle-mounted crew riding the course and a suv-trailer to recover immobilised riders and bikes. There will be an escalating “missing rider” protocol should a rider fail to check in at a Passage Control.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) - mandatory and optional.
Legislation dictates the minimum PPE requirement for riding motorcycles is a type-approved helmet.
Common sense advises and VIME event entries will require additional equipment such as goggles or protective eyewear, gloves, boots and clothing.
Professional-level race events require latest available protective equipment such as automatically inflating “air bag” jackets, which retail for a couple of thousand dollars. Such garments are likely to be out of the financial reach of casual and novice rallysport participants - event entry requirements for such equipment would raise further barriers to participation and WILL NOT be required for VIME events.
Affordable alternative motorcycle-specific jackets and trousers which incorporate closed cell foam padding panels at elbows, shoulders, back, hips and knees and will be encouraged.
Other personal equipment including navigation devices.
In addition to satellite-capable communication devices, participants will be required to carry with them maps of the wider area in which the event is held. This may be as simple as traditional paper maps, or is more likely to be a GIS/GPS mapping app on a smartphone. Such equipment is now considered essential navigation equipment for backcountry navigation.
Each rider will be required to carry food and water each day, additional to any food and drink they may expect to consume at the food and fuel rest stops at the Passage Controls. Chocolate bars and bottled water will suffice.
Emergency Services awareness of the event.
As part of the event preparations, VIME will inform local law enforcement detachments of the dates of the event, the routes for each day and notify the RCMP of any missing riders as part of the escalating “missing rider protocol”.
Other emergency services will also be notified of the event, either by the local RCMP detachment or by the event organiser.
911 by telephone will be the usual way of raising an emergency response to a critical situation.
Event crew and equipment.
Each edition of VIME events will need a number of competent, motorcycle-mounted event staff who know each day’s route. There will also be a need for start-line personnel who will have the responsibility of starting riders at appropriate times and will also “count everybody out”. There will be a need for event staff at each Passage Control to “count everybody through” and restart riders at appropriate intervals. There will also be finish-line event staff who will have the responsibility of “counting everyone in” and ensuring the number of riders at the finish line matches that of the start line.
Event crew planning and “organisational robustness”.
Understanding and acknowledgement of “limits of competency”. Personal competency limits and VIME organisation limits. Event participants and crew need to understand and accept that these events are not staged in fully equipped emergency rooms, event crew are not Emergency Medical Technicians, there is not an “airmada” of casualty evacuation helicopters following their every move and therefore they are required to conduct themselves accordingly with due regard to the safety and wellbeing of themselves and those around them. This is not a race, there are no prizes, there are no rewards at stake. Ride as if you are alone and need to be self-reliant.
Participant Mutual Aid principles - rendering assistance and summoning emergency or recovery support.
It is most likely that another event participant will be the first person to encounter a rider who has experienced a Serious Untoward Incident. Riders encountering a situation are expected to stop and render any assistance that may be reasonably be provided. As such, encountering riders will form the first link in the chain of actions that leads to the resolution of the SUI. If having rendered assistance, a rider is disadvantaged in a competition, the event organiser will adjust scores to negate any disadvantage arising from rendering assistance.
Alcohol and other intoxicants.
Riders exhibiting obvious intoxication will not be allowed to take the start line. If they make an irregular start, they will be riding outside of the event arrangements and their progress will not form any part of the event proceedings. They may be subject to other sanctions.
2.5 Missing Rider protocol.
Contact details.
The event organisers will provide to each event participant, specific telephone numbers and email addresses that are to be used to communicate with the event organisers.
Event participants will provide to the event, the name, address and telephone number of one non-rider who will be their “emergency contact”.
3. “Lost” protocols.
RIDERS MUST RECOGNISE THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATING THEIR POSITION TO EVENT CONTROL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IF THEY HAVE LOST THEIR WAY.
ALSO, THEY MUST ENSURE THEY HAVE THEIR PRESENCE AT EACH PASSAGE CONTROL RECORDED.
3.1 Rider protocol in the event of getting “lost”.
Should a rider realise they have become “lost”, they are required to follow this protocol.
Stop.
Examine your roadbook (if they are navigating by roadbook) and ascertain if you are able to retrace your movements back to the last position that you knew you were “not lost”.
If so, retrace their movements and recover your location.
If you are unable to recover to your last “not lost” position then…
Start your GIS/GPS (Gaia) mapping app and pinpoint your position by GPS and using the features in the app, plot a course to either the finish line, the next Passage Control or back to the start line.
Once you are “not lost” and in telecommunications range, you send a message to event control to report your situation and inform event control of your intentions.
If you are more than two hours behind schedule, it is unlikely you will be able to complete the course in a reasonable time and will be best advised to return to the event finish by the most efficient route.
3.2 Event “Missing Rider” protocol.
The event management will have recorded a full start list, noting the name and time of departure of every rider. This start list will be shared with event staff crewing the Passage Control checkpoints and the finish line crew.
The start list will be shared by phone text messages as all the checkpoints will be at positions of phone cell service.
The event management will know the expected travel time between the checkpoints and will be able to “count everybody out”, “count everybody through” and “count everybody in”.
Knowing everyone’s “last known location and time” will give event management the ability to divide the course up into sections for search parties, should the need arise.
Riders will be expected to complete each route section (between checkpoints) in the expected elapsed time.
They will be allowed +100% of the expected elapsed time before an alarm is raised. If they are more than +100% expected elapsed time overdue one or two event riders will ride the route section looking for the overdue rider(s).
If the event riders complete the section and do not find the lost rider they communicate their fruitless search to Event Control who will alert the local RCMP to the “Overdue Rider” situation.
The Event Control person will at all times remain in a position that has cellular phone service in order to be the “point of contact”.
The event riders will re-ride the section in which the lost rider is presumed to be in to join up again with the event staff at the checkpoint.
If the “lost” rider continues to be absent, Event Control will raise the level of alert with the RCMP to a “Missing Person” at which point management of the search may be handed-off to the RCMP.
IF A WIDER SEARCH IS INITIATED BY THE RCMP, ONLY THEY CAN STAND THE SEARCH DOWN.
If an injured rider is found, a decision needs to be made whether the casualty needs emergency medical assistance and/or evacuation or whether they can be removed from the course on the pillion of a motorcycle or as a passenger in a SUV.
If Emergency Medical Assistance is required in the opinion of the encountering rider, it must be summoned by 911 telephone call or SOS satellite communication. A communications log will be opened by the responding emergency service.
The recovery of the injured rider always takes priority over recovery of the motorcycle.
VIME events are not races, there will not be the “safety and rescue” cover that is provided at closed circuit events. Assume you are riding solo and behave accordingly. You are an amateur rider, do not try to outride yourself - you will come unstuck!
JD Binnington 9 March 2025.
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