Section 7. Management
Overview
The State and community motorcycle safety activities discussed in the first six sections all require effective management. Effective management includes planning, administration, evaluation, and funding. Effective management of motorcycle safety activities should include close communications, coordination, and cooperation with all government entities and constituencies interested in motorcycle safety. The strategies and action steps in this section suggest some specific management practices for motorcycle safety activities.
Objective: Give motorcycle safety the place it deserves within traffic safety programming and funding.
Strategy 7.1: State highway safety offices – Include motorcycle safety as a key component of highway safety program planning and funding.
The recent rise in motorcycle crashes, injuries, and fatalities has increased the importance of motorcycle safety in many State highway safety offices.
Action steps:
- Allocate adequate resources to motorcycle safety program activities based on problem size and program needs.
- Develop a comprehensive motorcycle safety program.
- Establish motorcycle safety goals in annual highway safety plans.
- Integrate motorcycle safety into existing highway safety program activities such as driver licensing, impaired driving enforcement crackdowns, law enforcement SFST training, and traffic safety communication strategies.
- Include a motorcycle safety specialist on the State highway safety office staff.
- Conduct a State motorcycle program assessment (available through NHTSA).
Promising practices:
Resources and supporting activities:
- NHTSA’s Motorcycle Safety Program Guideline outlines a comprehensive State program. The Guideline and other NHTSA motorcycle program resources are available at www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/motorcycle/general.htm. NHTSA plans to update this guideline in 2006.
- NHTSA will help States plan and conduct motorcycle program assessments. For general information on program assessments, see www.nhtsa.dot.gov/safecommunities/Strive/contents.html. To discuss motorcycle program assessments, contact Michael Jordan, Safety Countermeasures Division, NHTSA, at 202-366-0521 or Michael.Jordan@dot.gov.
- Nine of the 10 NHTSA Regions have included motorcycle safety as a priority on their 2006 action plans.
- MSF has developed a motorcycle training course management system as a tool for managing course enrollment, paperwork, and quality assurance activities.
Strategy 7.2: Education – Educate law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, and traffic safety organizations on motorcycle safety issues.
Motorcycle safety presents specific issues and concerns that many persons involved with traffic safety may not know. For each constituency, education first must raise awareness of the relevant motorcycle safety issues and then must provide the specific information that each constituency needs.
Action steps:
- Include motorcycle crash procedures in crash investigation training for law enforcement officers.
- Inform law enforcement patrol officers of traffic safety issues unique to motorcyclists, such as alcohol impairment cues and HOV regulations. State highway safety office law enforcement liaisons meet with law enforcement agencies to discuss motorcyclist safety issues and encourage agencies to enforce motor vehicle and traffic safety laws affecting motorcycles and motorcyclists.
- Include a motorcycle component in judicial education programs.
- Rider groups help inform other traffic safety organizations about motorcycle safety issues.
Promising practices:
- New Mexico presents information on available motorcycle operator training programs to Albuquerque Metropolitan Court judges at annual information meetings. In many cases, motorcycle operators who receive moving violations may have their fines or operator license points reduced or dropped if they attend a BRC program. For information, contact the New Mexico Motorcycle Safety Program at davidfsmith4@comcast.net.
- Ohio has motorcycle law enforcement liaisons at Ohio State Highway Patrol posts that will attend motorcycle rider meetings and events to discuss motorcycle safety issues. These officers are brought together for an annual meeting and training by the Patrol and the Motorcycle Ohio program. Also, after 50 years, the Patrol will once again have motorcycle officers. A pilot test starting in June 2006 will put six officers on the road around the Columbus metropolitan area. If successful, motorcycle officer units will be implemented in other large metropolitan areas of the State. For information, contact Motorcycle Ohio at 800-837-4337.
- The Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program will set up special classes for any law enforcement, fire fighter, or government agency for motorcycle safety education and training.
Resources and supporting activities:
Strategy 7.3: Cooperative activities – Include the broad motorcycle safety community (rider groups, dealers, manufacturers, law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, motorcycle friendly businesses) in motorcycle safety planning and implementation activities as appropriate.
The motorcycle safety community is diverse, with all parties contributing both special knowledge and specific concerns. Cooperative planning and implementation can design and implement more effective and efficient activities and can head off potential problems before they develop.
Action steps:
- Establish a State motorcycle safety advisory committee, involving relevant State agencies and the broad motorcycle safety community, to make recommendations on activities and assist with implementation.
- Hold State, regional or metropolitan area motorcycle summits to share issues, establish priorities, and plan activities.
- Conduct multi-State motorcycle safety meetings to share issues, programs, strategies, and lessons learned.
- Integrate motorcycle-related topics into highway safety conferences.
- Include law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges in motorcycle program assessments and other motorcycle safety program activities as appropriate.
Promising practices:
- Several States, including Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, and Wisconsin, have active State motorcycle safety advisory committees.
- Wisconsin held a State NAMS summit in 2004, which resulted in an action agenda for the State. For information, contact the Wisconsin Department of Transportation at 608-266-7855 or ron.thompson@dot.state.wi.us.
- NHTSA holds periodic regional motorcycle meetings involving State program officials, law enforcement, motorcycle manufacturers, rider groups, and others. For information on NHTSA’s Great Lakes Regional motorcycle meeting in December 2005, contact the NHTSA Great Lakes Regional office at 708-503-8892 or Curtis.Murff@dot.gov. For information on NHTSA’s joint New England and Eastern Regional motorcycle safety forum in December 2004, contact the NHTSA Eastern Regional office at 914-682-6162 or Richard.Simon@nhtsa.dot.gov.
- New Mexico sponsors an annual Motorcycle Advisory Council meeting where principals from the New Mexico Traffic Safety Bureau, the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division, the New Mexico Motorcycle Safety Program (NMMSP), State and local law enforcement, motorcycle dealers, motorcycle rights organizations, local clubs, motorcycle training instructors, and the general riding public are invited and encouraged to present their viewpoints. Summary data on mishaps, training, law enforcement initiatives, and licensing/vehicle registration policies are presented and discussed. For information, contact the New Mexico Motorcycle Safety Program at davidfsmith4@comcast.net.
- In Oregon, State highway safety offices, law enforcement, and rider group leaders share ideas, strategies, and events through a list-serv. For information, contact Team Oregon at team.oregon@oregonstate.edu.
- The Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program hosted a public awareness symposium with the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Dealers Association and ABATE senior officers, focusing on issues from the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan and brainstorming on how to promote motorcycle safety.
- Pennsylvania’s Motorcycle Safety Program was an active participant in Pennsylvania’s Highway Safety workshops which helped develop a Comprehensive Strategic Highway Safety Improvement Plan. Motorcycle safety is one of the 23 strategic focus areas in the Plan.
- To expand motorcycle operator training capacity, the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program needed additional funds. ABATE of Pennsylvania initiated and lobbied to provide funds by increasing the fee collected on all motorcycle permits and licenses from $2 to $5. The initiative also was supported by the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Dealerships Association.
Resources and supporting activities:
- MSF provides a variety of resources for the motorcycle safety community.
- The MSF Communications Group publicizes key safety messages for both riders and motorists. Its 24/7 news bureau fields hundreds of inquiries annually from print, broadcast and online journalists and other interested parties. The news bureau distributes news releases, video and still images, and statistics. It provides media-trained experts as spokespeople on subjects including rider education and training, licensing, protective gear, alcohol use, risk management, lifelong learning, and relevant motorist issues. It works with industry, legislators, researchers, government agencies, a variety of rider organizations, the larger training community and others, providing information on a wide range of safety related topics. Many of the materials developed can be found on the MSF Web site
www.msf-usa.org .
- MSF’s NAMS grant program awards small grants to motorcyclists, motorcycle rider organizations, and other organizations not associated with the motorcycle industry for programs to enhance motorcycle safety. Grant applications are available at www.msf-usa.org.
- Additional MSF resources are listed in previous sections.
- The Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) maintains its own 24-hour news bureau with special focus on industry and government relations issues, statistics and research, and activities surrounding technical and regulatory matters. Its two Web sites (www.mic.org and www.motorcycles.org ) serve a wide variety of needs within the entire motorcycling community as well as media interests. The MIC media message line is 949-727-4211 ext. 3027 or mediarelations@mic.org.
References and notes for Section 7, Management
NAMS recommendations for States and communities on management
12. Increase the number of states conducting Motorcycle Safety Program Assessments.
41. Adequate funding needs to be devoted to the development and implementation of motorist awareness issues.
45. Educate law enforcement and judicial officials about unique motorcycle safety issues and resources.
46. Encourage inclusion of law enforcement officials in Motorcycle Safety Program Assessments.
48. Include motorcycle crash investigation procedures in the basic course given to crash investigators.
50. Traffic safety organizations outside of the motorcycling community can better influence motorcycle safety issues by becoming more educated about motorcycle safety issues and adopt them where applicable.
51. Increase funding for motorcycle safety programs by elevating their importance to state highway safety offices.
52. Representatives of the motorcycle safety community should be integrated into the larger highway safety community to improve cooperative efforts.
63. Reconsider state requirements that prohibit safe conspicuity-enhancing modifications, including safe modification to lighting systems.
General references on management
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