Just last week, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation called for an accident causation study directed at motorcycles because of rising fatalities for bikers when all other vehicle types were getting safer. A lot of armchair analysis suggested the rising number of untrained new motorcyclists abandoning their cars due to fuel prices as a big reason for the bad numbers but the MSF has just noted that in California, at least, this past June they had an all time record number of riders complete their basic rider training program. I’m not suggesting a basic course insures a new rider will not have an accident, but it indicates an interest in and orientation towards safety by the new riders and may also suggest there are other factors involved. Whether any of these course graduates were involved in accidents would be interesting to know, as well.
As I stated last week, “Everyone has their own idea of why fatalities increased, but until an actual study is conducted we won’t know for sure.” New riders may indeed be the problem but new riders will always be more susceptible to accidents, just like drivers, and knowing what is going wrong might help develop a focus in the training programs to reduce the danger.
MSF press release:
The Motorcycle Safety Foundation, which administers the California Motorcyclist Safety Program under contract with the California Highway Patrol, today announced that a new record for the number of motorcyclists trained in one month was set in June when 7,840 enthusiasts took the MSF’s Basic RiderCourse at 121 ranges throughout the state. The previous record was set in July 2006 when 7,138 Californians participated in the MSF Basic RiderCourse.
The MSF added that training numbers are running at a pace nearly 16 percent higher in 2008 than for the same period last year. In 2007 more than 62,000 students were trained at CMSP sites throughout the state. The CMSP is the largest motorcyclist training program in the United States and has trained more that a half million students since its inception in 1987.
“Training is more popular than ever this summer season,†said Robert Gladden, MSF’s director of program administration of the California Motorcyclist Safety Program. “We’ve added new training sites to meet demand and keep the wait time for classes short, and have been adding new CMSP-recognized MSF RiderCoaches to conduct training for the increasing number of new riders.â€
Gladden added, “A tip of the helmet goes to the RiderCoaches and training site administrators for meeting this high demand so successfully and to the California Highway Patrol for its leadership in overseeing such a comprehensive program.â€
The MSF Basic RiderCourse is designed for beginning riders. The course, which includes approximately five hours of classroom instruction and 10 hours of riding exercises in a controlled environment, provides a complete introduction to motorcycling. The course is conducted over two or three sessions and motorcycles and helmets are provided. For those who successfully complete the course, the skills portion of the Department of Motor Vehicles motorcycle licensing test is waived.
Link: MSF
Walt says
The morning news here in the Northwest just announced that rider deaths are up in Washington too, with 80 percent caused by rider error. I cringe every time the traffic report says a bike has been involved in an accident. I’ve been riding — not doing huge miles — since the 1960s, mostly during the past 15 years. My big concern is the guy who turns left in front of me. I can control my own riding; I use a headlight modulator to try to let the other guy know I’m there. And an MSF course is on my to-do list.
palegreenhorse says
i can’t wait for a study to tell us why the accidents are going up!! the increase in people taking the MSF course certainly adds a significant wrinkle to understanding why accidents have gone up. hopefully those of us trying to be safe aren’t the cause of our own demise…
Matt in NC says
I really enjoyed the MSF course, and I definitely learned some good riding habits from it.
Problem is I took it over 12 years ago, and only because it was a requirement to have M/C priveleges on the Air Force base I was working on at that time.
One of these days I’m going to have to take the advanced rider course.
Jeff says
Well there are a lot more cars out there along with the motorcycles . I see a lot of car drivers not paying attention to the road or the traffic around them . Cell phones my biggest pet peeve right next to not signaling a turn . Combine this with a noob rider who doesn’t have the experience yet to aquire good judgement it’s a dangerous mix. I think you can do all the studies you want train all you want but until we as a group make a lot of noise to educate the driving public to pay attention and drive safely there are going to be more accidents. I’m bias but I think if a car driver is talking on a cell phone or doesn’t signal and they take out a motorcylist they should be charged and/or put in jail for manslaughter . The same goes for the “stunters ” on the superslabs causing accidents .Just my opine.
Dorzok says
FYI. In the state of California the succesful completion of an MSF course is required for anyone under the age of 21 in order to acquire a class M designation on their drivers license. So, an increase in the number of registration in the course does nnot necessarily “indicates an interest in and orientation towards safety by the new riders”. It’s forced upon us. People just want to ride and will go through the steps it takes to do it. These courses DO NOT gaurantee reduction in motorcycle involved accidents, injuries, or death.
kneeslider says
If under 21 you’re required to take the course? That’s interesting, I didn’t know that.
I wonder how many of the increased trainees are under 21, or over. It would also be very interesting to know how those who complete the course fare in the statistics compared to the rest of the rider population. These numbers could be very informative on their own.
Azzy says
How about a driver course for people driving a car? Heck, you need a special license to drive something over a certain size… why not a mandatory class for any driver?
I like the suggestion of someone here before, have every motorist take the MSF Rider course, so they learn what the rest of us are looking out for.
Mike says
The main problem with tin toppers is that it is too easy to get a license. When I lived in NZ, a famous rally driver started a driving school in a large field teaching car control, driving at the limit, anticipating others/terrain, and the NZ gov’t shut him down as he was promoting ‘street racing’. What he was teaching was car control, and attentiveness at the wheel. As all are human we can make mistakes in judgement. Even I have nearly fallen asleep in my GTS riding a super slab. But giving people the education to do better things is never bad. Some without maturity will do bad things. Most will not.
Couple a manditory professional driver training education certificate and mandatory re-testing every 5 years, with a $1500/2000 fee to get a driver’s license, and you would weed out a great bunch of idiots. Some riders as well…
Motoxyogi says
A number of the above comments reminded me of an idea i had toying around in my head for a while. Making drivers applying for a license, take mandatory lessons on not just a car but also on a bike. Nothing makes you more aware of your vulnerabilty than being in the line of fire. Admitably it wouldn stop the idiots from adding to the accident count but hopefully it would raise road user awarness in average.
Mike says
I agree with the philosophy, but most people ride bicycles (or at least their kids do) and it hasn’t made them any smarter. Hit em where it hurts – $$$. Problem with that is no politician would ever introduce it. Would be political suicide – but good for the general betterment of our road safety. Many others would simply look at it as a tax grab, and drive anyway and risk the $250-$5000 fine depending upon what state/country you live in.
PaulN says
I’m personally for manditory retesting for any vehicle license. Several years ago I completely forgot to renew my license. It eventually got so stale I had to retake the driving exam! Guess what? After nearly 20 years of driving I had developed some bad, and potentially dangerous habits! Making everyone take that test once in a while might open a few eyes.
robotribe says
I took the MSF a few years back, even after I had my M1 endorsement here in California. Personally, I think what needs to happen is that the MSF folks need to toughen the test and FAIL students more easily. Sure, you want to encourage ridership etc., but there were definitely a few students I took the class with who had no business being on a bike with the skills (or lack thereof) they exhibited at the time. I think it’s too easy to get your M1 as is.
Clive M-Sanders says
Charging 500 for a class a drivers liscense? Retesting every year? You guys sound like an Orwellian nightmare. Im willing to bet 50 percent of the increase in motorcycle accidents are the fault of the motorcyclist. And even in the other 50 percent it would probably have been avoided if both parties werent distracted or just not paying attention. When im on my bike im fully aware of every car around me, and to the best of my ability i predict unfavorable situations. What we do is dangerous, and regardless of how much you charge or how often you test, people will still be clueless.
FREEMAN says
I agree with Clive and previous commenter (Sasha) on the original post. Having the government rob you of money does not solve anything. It’s all a matter of personal responsibility. Furthermore, you can’t force that responsibility on others. It’s up to you and you alone to ride/drive responsibly and everything else is out of your control. No legislation or education will ever change that.
Dirk says
I’m with robotribe, the training was dumbed-down a few years ago to help new bike sales. The industry has had a big effect on this. I’ve personally worked with a couple of people I know who passed the course and were only about 25% ready in my opinion to get anywhere near real-world riding.
Dorzok says
I’ve been saying for years that EVERYONE should be REQUIRED to ride a motorcycle for a minmum of 3 years before they can even get a license for a car. Would raise everyone’s awareness of motorcycles. It would put more bikes on the road making a larger presence. With so few number of bikes on the road today it’s easy to see why people aren’t looking for them. Also strict limits on the size of bike can be had based on experience and or demonstration. I believe I read somewherw that a study shows an alarming number of accidents that do not involve another vehicle. THIS could be lack of experience or just reckless operation.
Dorzok says
Straight off of http://www.dmv.ca.gov and the reason for increased MSF registration.
To apply for your motorcycle Class M1 or M2 license, you must do one of the following:
If you are under 21, you must complete a motorcycle rider training course given by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and provide a certificate of Completion of Motorcycle Training (DL 389) to DMV to be issued your license. You will not be required to take the motorcycle driving test at DMV if you currently have a California Drivers License.
If you are over 21, you may either choose to complete the course by CHP and provide the certificate OR schedule an Appointment(s) at DMV to take the driving test. (You may also call 1-800-777-0133 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, to make a driving test appointment.) You have three chances to pass the test.
Mike says
The only way to make drivers/riders better is to change attitudes. The only way to change attitudes is to change something related to that attitude. Maturity sometimes helps. My comment about steep license prices and frequent retesting changes getting a driver’s license from a perceived ‘right’ to the privilege that it is. It makes it be something to strive for, and precious to possess, and keep, not something that is frivolous and easy to obtain. And don’t give the money to the Gov’t, they will just p*ss it away like always. Have the DMV Organize it to go to a charity/hospital/cancer research etc.
As for the training, I have 22 years on the road on a bike, and have taken many rider/driver training courses, as well as performance track only courses, and I just about always learn something new. It is never a waste of money.