RIDER EDUCATION AND TRAINING
NHTSA recognizes that there is an increasing demand for rider education and training courses and that some States have difficulty meeting this demand. Currently, 47 States have legislated rider education and training programs to provide education and training for those who seek it. Some States do mandate training for motorcyclists under a certain age (generally 18). However, many report that waiting times to complete a course range from 6 months to a year and there are also wide differences in program content and administration from State to State.
The agency works with MSF and the National Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators (SMSA) to provide assistance to States in developing, implementing, administering, and evaluating State motorcycle rider education programs. Through its regional offices, NHTSA will encourage each State to conduct a motorcycle safety program assessment (MSPA) and use the results to better understand how existing State and Federal resources are being distributed, as well as to identify and address inefficiencies in funding and delivery of its comprehensive motorcycle safety program. To further maximize resources, NHTSA worked with the SMSA to develop a forecasting methodology to enable State rider education and training programs to set goals to meet the increasing training demand, identify resources needed to meet that demand, and develop an action plan to serve as a blueprint for reaching rider education and training goals. This effort, in combination with the MSFs efforts to offer modified curricula to meet the needs of individual motorcyclists, should allow State rider education and training programs to increase capacity and address lengthy waiting lists. To complement these efforts, NHTSA’s regional offices will work more closely with State rider education and training programs and State highway safety offices to foster partnerships with the private sector to identify and develop potential training sites to expand the availability of training to meet current and future demand. Nevertheless, like novice drivers who pay to receive driver’s education to prepare them to operate a motor vehicle safely, motorcyclists also must be willing to consider paying for rider education and training.
NHTSA’s Rider Education and Training Program:
Coordinate
the Enhancement of State Motorcycle Safety Activities. NHTSA’s regional
offices will facilitate the development of interdisciplinary working
groups within each State to fully develop Statewide comprehensive motorcycle
safety programs. Working groups representing highway safety, motorcycle
rider education and training, licensing, law enforcement, research,
health care, roadway and rider groups will be formed to discuss and
plan future motorcycle safety efforts at the State level to positively
impact the rising trend in motorcyclist fatalities. Targeted completion
date – Ongoing
Examine
State Rider Education and Training Programs. To better understand
how State rider education and training programs are administered, NHTSA
has begun a study to review the policies and practices of each State’s
rider education and training program. Once completed, those States that
have been identified as having the most efficient and effective program
components will be highlighted and offered as models to be adopted by
other States where possible. Identifying cost effective and efficient
policies and practices is important in this era of competing financial
resources, and will allow State rider education and training programs
to maximize limited funding while continuing to meet increasing demand.
Targeted completion date – September 2004
Link
Rider Education Data with Crash Outcome Data. The agency will support
the Crash Outcome Data Evaluation States (CODES) Data Network as it
links State rider training databases with existing CODES databases to
collect and analyze data that provide a better understanding of the
link between a rider’s training history and crash involvement. Data
analysis will include, but not be limited to, training status, injuries
received and treatment/rehabilitation costs, emergency response data,
and other variables important to analyze crash scenarios. Targeted
completion date – December 2005