Motorcycle training teaches motorcycle riders the skills for riding on public roads. It is the equivalent of driver's education for car drivers. Training beyond basic qualification and licensing is available to those whose duty includes motorcycle riding, such as police, and additional rider courses are offered for street riding refreshers, sport riding, off-road techniques, and developing competitive skills for the motorcycle racetrack. [1] [2]
Mandatory motorcycle training, known as Compulsory Basic Training, is common in Europe. [3] There are also schools and organizations that provide training for beginners and refresher courses for experienced riders. In the United Kingdom organizations such as the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) offer advanced rider training with the aim of reducing accident rates. Advanced training is optional but there is often an added incentive to riders in the form of reduced insurance premiums.
Many motorcycle training courses in the USA use the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) course materials. As of 2010 [update] , 31 states use the MSF tests for licensing, and 41 states use the MSF motorcycle operator manual. [4] Completion of such courses often results in lower insurance rates, [5] and all but five US states waive motorcyclist license testing for graduates of rider training courses such as the MSF. [6]
The US Hurt Report, begun in 1976 and published in 1981, expresses disdain for the ignorance and misinformation about motorcycle safety among riders studied, noting that 92% of riders in accidents had no formal training, compared to 84.3% of the riding population, and that when interviewed, riders frequently failed to take responsibility for their errors, or even perceive that accident avoidance had been possible. Hurt noted they held such misconceptions as the belief that deliberately falling down and sliding was a more effective accident avoidance strategy than strong, controlled application of the front brake. [7] [8] The final recommendations of the report include the advice that, "The Motorcycle Rider Course of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation should be the prerequisite (or at least corequisite) of licensing and use of a motorcycle in traffic." [9]
However, when the European MAIDS report, conducted in 1999 to 2000, looked at motorcycle accidents and the riding population, in societies where rider training was both widely available and in general mandatory, they were unable to find conclusive evidence that riders without training were more likely to be involved in accidents. Nor were their interviews able to discern a significant difference between the number of riders who had been in accidents who were unqualified to operate their motorcycles, and the number among those who had not been in accidents. [10] The MAIDS study did find that drivers of other vehicles were less likely to fail to perceive motorcycles in accidents if they themselves had a motorcycle license, [11] and that motorcyclists riding illegally without a license were more likely to have accidents. [12]
The MAIDS report does not conclude that training is unnecessary, but rather states that their results are inconclusive. [13] [14] Hurt's complaint was that in the absence of mandatory training, false information is passed from one generation of riders to the next, so it is to be expected that this particular problem would decrease in regions where training is generally mandatory. [15] Years of riding and contact with other riders, in lieu of formal training, doesn't necessarily expose motorcyclists to accurate information. [16] [17] Open questions remain, however, such as why the overall safety of motorcycling in Europe is not significantly different than in the US. [18] [19]
The US armed forces have responded to an increase in off-duty motorcycling accidents and deaths by strengthening existing requirements that service members take a motorcycle safety course and wear helmets, long sleeve shirts, pants, over the ankle shoes, and gloves even if not required locally if they wish to ride, as well as by offering rider training tailored to military motorcyclists. [20] [21] In response to the popularity of sport bikes among younger military riders, and the disproportionate representation of sports bikes in accident deaths, courses focusing on sport bike riding have been created at military installations around the world. [22] These courses have been designed in cooperation with the MSF, and a conference on motorcycle safety with the MSF and high level military leadership was held at The Pentagon. [23] The Marine Corps devoted a half day in conference with the top brass and the MSF in recognition of the seriousness of the problem. [24] The military has also adopted new technology such as the Honda Smart Trainer, in Qatar and elsewhere. [25] [26]
The courses offered go beyond basic riding skills necessary to become licensed and focus on the specific areas identified as posing the greatest risk to the military riders. Another focus is military riders who wear uncertified "novelty" helmets or go without other protective gear required by regulations above and beyond local laws. [27]
Law enforcement motorcyclists, called motor officers in US police jargon, [28] [29] [30] benefit from advanced training, typically lasting one to three weeks, that covers safety during routine patrol, and police-specific riding like pursuit, as well as policing methods such as safely approaching a suspect's vehicle. [31]
Like basic rider courses, police training is dominated by low-speed maneuvering. [32] Much of what can go wrong on a motorcycle happens at low speed, and this is particularly true considering that the usual police motorcycle carries hundreds of pounds of equipment, often weighing even more than a fully loaded bike on tour. [33] And where the touring bike would spend much time on open freeways and autobahns, the police motorcycle is lumbering through urban traffic, pedestrian zones, and narrow city streets. [34] Very tight U-turns and paired riding with a second officer are typical of the techniques practiced, and police training can include riding on technically challenging surfaces, such as up and down stairs or loading ramps or on railroad tracks. [35]
Another difference between basic riding and police training is the frequency that police trainees fall down. While in the standard MSF course the student is not expected to fall at all, and can be removed from the class after more than a couple of spills, police motorcycle trainees can expect to drop their bikes dozens of times per day, and even hundreds of times during a two or three week course. [35] [36] The bikes used in training are equipped with crash bars to minimize the damage to the motorcycle, and the design of the bikes typically means they do not land entirely on their side or rest on the rider's feet or legs when they are dropped, however. Police trainees in the USA who bring their own motorcycles or their department's bikes to a training course are advised to expect between US$2000 to US$2700 in damage to their machines. [37] Though severe injuries are not usually the result of these many crashes, it is exhausting, and a day of falling and picking up 800 to 1,100 lb (360 to 500 kg) bikes leaves motor officer students sore and aching. [38] [39]
Some current or former motor officers have come full circle by offering rider courses to the public based on the special skills and training methods used by police motorcyclists. [40] In the United Kingdom, most civilian advanced training is based on Roadcraft , the police system of motorcycle control.
Easy-to-remember acronyms and sayings have been added to various training curricula, or promoted by safety gurus, and have moved into common currency beyond the motorcycle safety classroom. Among them are:
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation now offers its Dirt Bike School, a half-day course in a controlled environment. This fun, low-pressure course teaches the basics of off-road riding, then progresses to advanced off-road riding techniques.
Training/safety link confirmed – L1 (Mofas/Mopeds) => 75 % no training – L3 (MC) => 77 % have some pre‐license training => 13 % no training
Some insurance companies and other businesses offer discounts to course graduates
Those riders who had learned from family and friends, or who were self-taught, were 92.0% of the total. This represents a spectacular gap in the transfer of vital accident and injury information. Imagine one motorcycle rider learning anything valuable from another rider who has no appreciation of head and eye protection and no understanding of the vital performance of the front brake in collision avoidance. This situation is clearly the weak link in the development of defensive riding strategies and accident prevention. [...] Table 7.7.1 also shows the recommendations of those accident-involved riders to avoid or prevent accidents. Note that there were no recommendations in 52.0% of those cases, and it was apparent that those riders were (at that time) still confused about the accident circumstances and had not reconstructed those events for culpability. The very low recommendation for motorcyclist safety courses and improved licensing is associated with the lack of perceived and actual culpability for the motorcycle rider.The Hurt Report is a US Federal Government publication in the public domain.
When the accident population and the exposure population are compared, the data indicates that a similar number of riders in both groups have received no PTW training (40.1% of the accident population and 48.4% of the petrol station population). However, it is important to note that the PTW training status for 93 riders was coded as unknown. [...] The data indicates that 47.2% of those riders without any type of training failed to attempt a collision avoidance manoeuvre. Similarly, the data indicates that 33.2% of those riders who had compulsory training also failed to attempt a collision avoidance manoeuvre. These results are difficult to interpret since there were many cases in which there was insufficient time available for the PTW rider to perform any kind of collision avoidance.
Again, I can't stress how important it is to enlist in motorcycle driving courses before you take to the road. For my first 20 years of riding, no instruction was available and I believed I didn't need any. After participating in my first course, I was horrified to learn of my poor technique and riding habits. I was so taken by the course that I became an instructor and lifelong advocate. If you don't intend to go through a training course, don't ride.
Another major factor in accidents is the rider who, as written in the accident report 'failed to negotiate a turn.' A motorcycle journalist I know serves as an expert witness in court cases involving motorcycles. 'The rider's story usually goes,' he says with a tired smile, 'that the motorcycle enters a turn, and at the apex, the brakes just strangely lock up -- all by themselves.' His smile is not for the riders' misfortunes, but for human nature's inclination to blame misfortune on machinery that can't talk back, rather than accept responsibility for something dumb.
As Art Friedman points out in his safety column in the February 2005 issue of Motorcycle Cruiser magazine (http://motorcyclecruiser.com/streetsurvival/training/), research has shown that rider training courses really do not provide any long-term benefit. 'The only measured difference between training course graduates and those who start riding without any formal training shows up during the first six months, when those who take the course suffer somewhat fewer lapses -- events such as crashes and tickets -- than unschooled riders.'
{{citation}}: External link in |quote=Motorcycle licenses are relatively easy to obtain in the United States. In other countries, including Britain, beginning riders are generally restricted to smaller, less powerful motorcycles. Ray Ochs, the director of training systems at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, is doubtful that stricter licensing would reduce fatalities. 'They don’t have any better record — at least it’s not documented — than we do in this country' Mr. Ochs said.
Fatalities among motorcycle riders in the U.S. military increased in 2008 — and for at least one service, they exceeded the number of combat deaths in Iraq. More than 120 servicemembers were killed in motorcycle crashes in fiscal year 2008, up from 97 the year before, according to Defense Department Web sites. It’s a trend that has prompted safety officials to enhance the motorcycle safety program on Okinawa.
Johnson himself is a rider, and he's observed a sea change in attitudes within the military regarding motorcycles. 'The Navy used to discourage riding, but it has a different approach now. None of us is averse to risk,' he explains. 'We have the kind of people predisposed to land on an aircraft carrier at night or kick down a door in Fallujah.' [...] For this session, a questionnaire kicks off a discussion about how skill level, in concert with risk taking, yields varying levels of exposure to danger. The classroom curriculum covers threshold braking, accident avoidance and body posture (to name a few topics); after a healthy dialogue about technique, it's time to throw a leg over our bikes.
Organized by the Department of Defense (DoD), the motorcycle safety event emphasized the critical need for service members to adopt safe riding habits. The military's Joint Service Safety Council has identified motorcycle safety and training as the number one non-combat safety concern across the services.
Amos said he and other top Marine officials will spend half the day Monday 'focusing on nothing but motorcycle issues.' The commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James Conway, and other senior leadership will attend the meeting at the Quantico, Virginia, Marine base, he said. About 18,000 of the nearly 200,000 Marines are believed to own motorcycles, Amos said.
Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) managing director Al Hydeman from California, who delivered the SMARTrainer devices to US Army Central installations in Qatar and Kuwait, was present. The Honda system simulates real-world driving experiences by integrating a computer, monitor and printer with motorcycle controls, noise suppression headset and powerful software.
The Honda SMART is a traffic simulator specifically designed to give riders a safe bridge between a typical beginning riding course (which often take place in a parking lot) and the real-world scenario of riding in traffic and on public roads.
Military regulations require either a long-sleeve shirt or jacket and a helmet that meets American National Standards Institute standard Z90-1 or the Economic Commission for Europe Norm. Novelty helmets 'do not meet that standard.
Eugene's four motorcycle officers -- called motor officers in police jargon -- and their supervising sergeant, who uses a patrol car, are primarily responsible for traffic enforcement.
Most San Diego streets were unpaved and leather gloves were the only protection for early motor officers. [ ... ] James Patrick took a few minutes of his time to jump into a sidecar to have his photo taken with several motor officers and civilian cycle enthusiasts.
A full minute later two bobbing headlights appeared and the Harleys slid to a stop. Both policemen insisted we just arrived in their shouted questions to the control station guard. He grinned and swore by all the patron saints that we had been resting on the grass for at least three or four minutes. Both motor officers accepted invitations to ride the BSA's rear fender.
Pursuit techniques, escort duty, slow riding, braking and defensive riding skills are among the featured elements of a police motorcycle skills course now touring the country. Developed by the Harley-Davidson Motor Company and the Northwestern University Traffic Institute, the Police Motorcycle Operations Training Course is being presented by the National Police Motorcycle Academy. The intensive five-day, 40-hour class is offered to any police department using any brand of motorcycle.
'Anybody can go fast straight ahead,' [Andy Norrie, the Toronto police traffic services' staff sergeant] adds, 'that's easy. We want our officers to be able to control their motorcycle under all situations, in all environments. It's almost all exclusively slow-speed control.'
These skills need to be continually practised because police motorcycles are often used in high density traffic and pedestrian situations, which demand expert balance, clutch control, braking and hazard detection.
The training includes purposely crashing the motorcycle, driving through the desert, over railroad tracks, up and down loading ramps, an obstacle courses.
Long days in high heat and humidity took its toll on many riders. 'Everyone felt the gravitational pull of Mother Earth during the slow cornering exercises. One state trooper told me he lost count after picking up his bike 190 times and it was only the second day!'
Some riders laid their bikes down on a tight curve in the middle of the line, but pushed their 825-pound motorcycles right back up. The teachers smiled as more fell. It's kind of like watching children learn how to walk. "You take a lot of spills, especially when you're new at it," said Eddie Garth, Arlington motorcycle unit commander. [ ... ] The Harley-Davidson Motor Co. provides the motorcycles -- Road Kings. Officers are allowed to use their own cycles, but should expect to incur $1,500 to $2,000 in damage.Values above are inflated from source to current dollars and rounded to hundreds place.
The Kawasaki motorcycle outweighs the 5-foot-5 woman by about 1,100 pounds. [...] Today, after two weeks of training, Koceja will be the first woman motorcycle officer in Pinellas County.
Jesse and four colleagues launched a motorcycle riding school in Merri-field. Jesse says it's one of the only motorcycle schools in the country owned exclusively by police officers.
ATGATT? That's All The Gear, All The Time - helmet, jacket, gloves and boots. And I could be badly injured riding my motorcycle tomorrow.
Riders "in the know" wear "All The Gear, All The Time" (ATGATT).
Starting the Engine Use FINE-C as a pre-start checklist
The DirtBike School's FINE-C method ingrains the proper steps for starting a motorcycle. It stands for Fuel valve, Ignition, Neutral, Engine, Choke.
Having good perception means to 'see and understand accurately.' Our eyes see but our mind interprets, and sometimes we can be fooled into perceiving something that's not there or missing something that is; and that can be disastrous when evaluating risk factors in traffic. The MSF RiderCourses use the strategy of Search, Evaluate, Execute (S.E.E.) to describe the decision-making process that should be used while riding.
With my helmet on I am not a father, husband, writer, or a person whose credit can exceed his good sense. I am just a motorcyclist, and will be until the helmet comes off. My mantra is 'When the helmet drops, the bullshits stops.' If I am particularly distracted I say it out loud, or at least mouth the words. It works.
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A motorcycle, often called a motorbike, bike, cycle, or trike, is a two- or three-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising, sport, and off-road riding. Motorcycling is riding a motorcycle and being involved in other related social activity such as joining a motorcycle club and attending motorcycle rallies.
A motorcycle helmet is a type of helmet used by motorcycle riders. Motorcycle helmets contribute to motorcycle safety by protecting the rider's head in the event of an impact. They reduce the risk of head injury by 69% and the risk of death by 42%. Their use is required by law in many countries.
In the United Kingdom, the term Compulsory Basic Training is a preliminary vehicular training course which must be completed by people wishing to ride a motorcycle or moped unaccompanied on the road, and remains valid for 2 years upon completion. It was introduced in Great Britain on 1 December 1990 as a means of reducing accidents on the road caused by inexperienced drivers by reviewing aspects of riding both on and off the road with a qualified motorcycle instructor registered with an Approved Training Body (ATB). If a full car licence was obtained before 1 February 2001 it is not necessary to complete a CBT course to ride a moped.
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) is an American national, not-for-profit organization, founded in 1973, and sponsored by the U.S. manufacturers and distributors of BMW, BRP, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Piaggio/Vespa, Suzuki, Triumph, Indian Motorcycle and Yamaha motorcycles. The MSF maintains rider training curricula used in most states for novice and experienced riders.
Countersteering is used by single-track vehicle operators, such as cyclists and motorcyclists, to initiate a turn toward a given direction by momentarily steering counter to the desired direction. To negotiate a turn successfully, the combined center of mass of the rider and the single-track vehicle must first be leaned in the direction of the turn, and steering briefly in the opposite direction causes that lean. The rider's action of countersteering is sometimes referred to as "giving a steering command".
There are many systems for classifying types of motorcycles, describing how the motorcycles are put to use, or the designer's intent, or some combination of the two. Six main categories are widely recognized: cruiser, sport, touring, standard, dual-purpose, and dirt bike. Sometimes sport touring motorcycles are recognized as a seventh category. Strong lines are sometimes drawn between motorcycles and their smaller cousins, mopeds, scooters, and underbones, but other classification schemes include these as types of motorcycles.
Motorcycle safety is the study of the risks and dangers of motorcycling, and the approaches to mitigate that risk, focusing on motorcycle design, road design and traffic rules, rider training, and the cultural attitudes of motorcyclists and other road users.
State motorcyclists' rights organizations (SMROs) exist in about 32 US states, 25 of which call themselves "ABATE of ," the rest going by various other names. SMROs advocate for the motorcycle rider and freedom on the road. In the motorcycling world, that generally means they oppose mandatory helmet laws, restrictions on handlebar heights and the profiling of motorcycle riders. Instead ABATE encourages riders to safely ride their motorcycle how it is setup and actively promotes greater public awareness of motorcyclist and traffic safety issues. They also favor stronger penalties for car driver infractions such as right of way violations, or when drivers are at fault in accidents that harm motorcycle riders. SMRO activities include lobbying legislatures, letter writing campaigns, and paying for public service announcements and political advertisements. To carry out lobbying at the national level, a coalition of SMRO's, consisting primarily of state ABATE groups, created the Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) to lobby in Washington DC. The SMROs and MRF are often allied with the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) on legislative issues.
This is a list of numbers of motorcycle deaths in U.S. by year from 1994 to 2014. United States motorcycle fatalities increased every year for 11 years after reaching a historic low of 2,116 fatalities in 1997, then increased to over 5,000 around 2008 and then plateaued in the 4 to 5 thousands range in the 2010s. In nine years motorcycle deaths more than doubled from the late 1990s to 2008. Despite providing less than 1% of miles driven, they made up 15% of traffic deaths in 2012.
Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. For some people, motorcycling may be the only affordable form of individual motorized transportation, and small-displacement motorcycles are the most common motor vehicle in the most populous countries, including India, China and Indonesia.
Traffic collision reconstruction is the process of investigating, analyzing, and drawing conclusions about the causes and events during a vehicle collision. Reconstructionists conduct collision analysis and reconstruction to identify the cause of a collision and contributing factors including the role of the driver(s), vehicle(s), roadway and general environment. Physics and engineering principles are the basis for these analyses and may involved the use of software for calculations and simulations. Collision reconstruction is sometimes used as the basis of expert witness testimony at trials. Collision reconstructions are typically performed in cases involving fatalities or personal injury. Results from collision reconstructions are also sometimes used for making roads and highways safer, as well as improving safety aspects of motor vehicle designs. Reconstructions are typically conducted by forensic engineers, specialized units in law enforcement agencies, or private consultants.
The advanced driving test is a special exam for motorists who can drive to a skill level substantially above average, and candidates who pass are called advanced drivers. It is available from several societies, including IAM RoadSmart, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, the Driving Instructors' Association DIAmond Advanced Test and the British Motorcyclists Federation (BMF) Blue Riband. There is no single "advanced test", so standards are different depending on the provider. It does not affect the driver's own licence. The test is mostly UK based; and is available for several types of vehicle depending on the provider.
David L. Hough is an American writer on motorcycle rider safety, education and training. He has been a columnist for Motorcycle Consumer News, Sound RIDER! and BMW Owners News magazines. After his first book Proficient Motorcycling was published by Bow Tie Press it became one of the best selling motorcycle books. He currently has four published books and one 2nd ed. He has been recognized twice as a writer by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's (MSF) Excellence in Motorcycle Journalism award.
Lane splitting is riding a bicycle or motorcycle between lanes or rows of slow moving or stopped traffic moving in the same direction. It is sometimes called whitelining, or stripe-riding. This allows riders to save time, bypassing traffic congestion, and may also be safer than stopping behind stationary vehicles.
The Hurt Report, officially Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures, was a motorcycle safety study conducted in the United States, initiated in 1976 and published in 1981. The report is named after its primary author, Professor Harry Hurt.
Motorcycling advocacy is activism for motorcyclists seeking to establish and protect their rights, and to influence issues of interest to the motorcycling community. This includes lobbying organizations that work to influence laws, and groups or individuals who influence public attitudes.
Team Oregon Motorcycle Safety Program, known as Team Oregon, is an American, Oregon-based motorcycle safety partnership between the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Oregon State University. Headed by Aria Minu-Sepehr, it is funded by ODOT through motorcycle endorsement (license) fees and student tuition. Team Oregon's training materials have been used in other states, including Idaho and Illinois, and it is the only official motorcycle safety program in Oregon. The program began in 1984.
Motorcycle hooliganism includes street racing, street stunting, and games of tag on public roads, or simply cruising, often in very large numbers, against local ordinances.
The following outline is provided as an overview of motorcycles and motorcycling: