Too much Tech?

Back in the dark ages of Motor Policing, when I was but a young lad, we had no technology to speak of.  We were just moving from carbureted 80 inch HD's to the newer fuel injected models, and the old S&W 38 special was being replaced with the new 9mm autos.  But that was it.  We did have hand held RADAR guns we could plug into the cigarette lighter, but had to stow them away in the saddlebag to chase violators down.  But that was it. 

Fast forward about 3 decades and we have mounted moving RADAR, Apple CarPlay, GPS, cell phones mounted to the handlebars, tablets with CAD calls displayed, and giant factory digital displays that tell us more about what's happening with our Motors than we ever cared to know.

When we began to mount moving RADARs to the motors, I distinctly remember our motor commander protesting, telling us that "riding the Motor is a full time job - you don't have time to look down at a silly RADAR display!"

Now with more and more tech thrown on our handlebars, I wonder what he would think now!  And our motors aren't the only thing that's evolving.  Look at how much tech some of us are throwing on our pistols and patrol rifles!

The ultimate question we have to ask ourselves - are we better for it?  My simple answer is largely yes.  As long as we focus on the fundamentals of riding, and the fundamentals of shooting, good tech can only work to make us better.  But more technology, if not added correctly, can absolutely work against us, distract us, and lead to disaster.  So choose your upgrades wisely, introduce changes gradually and train with each upgrade so you can integrate the best tech with solid fundamentals!

Ride Safe and Train Often!

Joe