It’s May. That means its Motorcycle Awareness Month. There are proclamations, bills introduced into respective state legislatures, public service announcements, and lots of press releases. And that’s great. But it’s not enough.

Motorcycle – and motorcyclist – awareness must be an everyday task. It needs to be a part of everyone’s routine. All the time. Not just in May. Federal and state public education dollars need to be allocated every month for this purpose. It needs to be a part of every driver’s education course (auto and truck), DMV driver’s license renewals, and more. In other words, we need to make motorcycle awareness for all roadway users mandatory, not a once-a-year campaign.

We need more research. MSF is putting its money where its “mouth” is on this. The MSF has invested $2.4 million since 2010 in research initiatives that support ongoing curriculum development and quality assurance programs for its Rider Education & Training System and Basic RiderCourse motorcyclist training program. MSF recently partnered with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute on the MSF 100 Motorcyclists Naturalistic Study. Video cameras and data acquisition sensors are being used to track the actions of 100 riders over the course of a year to create a comprehensive assessment of the many factors contributing to both crashes and near-crashes and the common everyday riding situations.

We need innovative and modern ways to reach everyone, from a prospective motorcyclist and his/her family to car and truck drivers. If you haven’t yet, check out MSF’s “Intersection” and “Rider Choices” iBooks.

We need to continually enhance rider education and training. From Dr. Ray Ochs, MSF vice president of training systems: “We continue to increase our understanding of rider and other roadway user behaviors to direct improvements in our curricula that lead to improved student outcomes and a safer riding environment overall. We’ve just completed a significant update to our most popular course, the Basic RiderCourse, with new classroom content focused on rider behavior, risk awareness and risk management. And, we’ve added new range exercises that focus on earlier acquisition of fundamental skills with an emphasis on the traffic situations that students will encounter on the road.”

Some may consider the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s stated goal to eliminate motorcycle crashes and fatalities as just “PR.” I promise you it’s a real goal, one our staff “lives” every day – as they ride to and from work, as they collaborate with our many partners, as they conduct new research, and as they develop new curricula.
What are your ideas?

Fellow riders… While catching up with some reading recently, I came across this stat from the latest AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety survey:  Nearly half of drivers (from its study) who regularly talked on their phones had also run a red light in the previous month.  3,896 drivers participated in the survey.  More than a quarter of the respondents said they had written and sent at least one text or email while driving during the previous month.

No wonder they say “I never saw him” after they crash into us in an intersection.

Another disturbing fact from the AAA study was that 90 percent of the respondents thought distracted driving is a bigger problem than it was three years ago, but that’s not enough of a concern to stop them from being a culprit.

Today, the MSF launched an interactive iBook program it created, “Intersection: Sharing The Road,” to enhance motorist awareness of motorcycles. The program combines personal stories and character development with a dramatic new look at a crash scene that’s all too common. Its video and related content appeals to teens, adults and commercial drivers. In addition to the consumer version, there’s also a Leader’s Guide for those who wish to present the information to groups such as driver education classes, traffic schools and commercial driver employee orientations.

What would be a good way to get this information into the hands of more drivers (while they’re not behind the wheel!)?

And don’t even get me started on turn signals.  Check out the reasons drivers don’t use turn signals at MSF’s forcardrivers.com; and check out SEE (search, evaluate, execute):  A strategy for managing the risk of motor vehicle operation.

Ride safe and maintain your personal margin of safety.

P.S… To view the new iBook, click here.

David Strickland, NHTSA Administrator

Now that I have looked at motorcycle safety from behind the handlebars I have to admit that my perspective has expanded.  As Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, I am well used to looking at motorcycle safety as a critical part of our mission to reduce motor vehicle injuries and fatalities.  In fact, in recent years motorcycle safety has been particularly critical to our mission since numbers for nearly every other road user were declining and motorcycle deaths continued to increase.  But after having taken the MSF Basic RiderCourse recently, I now see this part of our mission from several directions.

I signed up for the Basic RiderCourse because I wanted to experience rider training in the same way as those half-million or so others who make this choice every year.   I felt that if motorcycling is that important to my mission, I should understand it from every angle.  Basically, I wanted to walk a mile in their motorcycle boots.  What I found was a course that gave me a real sense of accomplishment and pushed me out of my comfort zone.  And I was encouraged to see that the course was not only physically demanding but also mentally challenging.

I was most impressed by the quality of the trainers.  In the classroom, they continually reinforced the importance of wearing proper protective gear, riding unimpaired, obeying traffic laws, respecting the traffic and pedestrians around you, and making safe decisions on the motorcycle.  The instructors were very skilled, not only with teaching the technical aspects of riding, but also in caring for an eclectic group of new riders – including several like myself who had never been behind handlebars – and helping us decide whether we and motorcycling were a good match.

Taking the BRC gave me a new appreciation for the motorcycle training community, and their dedication and patience in introducing students from all walks of life – and varying levels of anxiety and self-doubt – to safe motorcycle riding.  I was also surprised by just how challenging it is to ride a motorcycle.  Riding safely is much more difficult than it looks and I now understand why the safety fundamentals, like wearing a quality helmet that meets federal standards and riding sober, show up so clearly in our crash data.  But moreover, spending a weekend on a bike gave me an appreciation of why riders are so passionate about motorcycling.

(A guest post by Paul Vitrano)

Earlier this week, I wrote a guest post on the joys and benefits of commuting on a motorcycle.  I would like to share some things I have experienced and learned since I started commuting to work nearly every day since the summer of 2011.

It starts with keeping your bike in top shape.  Staying on the maintenance schedule, keeping ample fuel in the tank, and referencing MIC’s Tire Guide to take care of the tires, all become musts.

Of course, I outfit myself in All The Gear, All The Time, but the minimum is not enough.  My Aerostich Roadcrafter provides the armor and protection that I need, allows me to ride in my business clothes, and keeps me dry on those rare rainy days in Southern California.

Relying on my motorcycle as transportation causes me to be smart about packing luggage and other equipment.  A tool kit, emergency kit, emergency tire inflator and a lock are staples.  My current ride, a 2012 Honda Goldwing (yes, I split lanes on the Wing), has plenty of on-board storage, but if yours does not, you can add aftermarket luggage to many bikes.  Carrying a briefcase, workout clothes or an overnight bag is not difficult, if you plan accordingly.  I even have ridden my bike to Los Angeles International Airport for an international flight!

Please share your own tips and experiences.

(A guest post by Paul Vitrano)

It all started in July 2011 when my daughter got her driver’s license.  I knew she would be driving to school in September and we would need to buy another car.  That is, unless I started commuting by motorcycle.  I had several bikes, worked for the industry and lived in Southern California, so it seemed foolish not to give it a try.  Twenty months into it, I ride to work virtually every day, and I love it.

When I started, I was riding a 2009 Suzuki Gladius.  The Gladius is not the ideal commuting bike in stock form, but with a tail bag, a backpack or courier bag, and some planning, it does the job.

The first benefit I noticed was that I was saving a lot of time on my commute.  By car, the round-trip took about 100 minutes.  On the bike, commutes were cut to around 25 minutes each way.  This was due in large part to the ability to ride in the car pool lanes on the freeways.

In addition, the nimble Gladius made it easy to split lanes, which is legal in California.  Splitting lanes is a great time-saver and can be done safely.  If you are thinking about trying it, I recommend that you take a look at the Motorcycle Industry Council’s Position on Lane Splitting and the California Highway Patrol’s recently issued guidance document.  I also was able to take advantage of prime motorcycle-only parking in most lots.

At the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, we like to say that one of our goals is to create riders of good riding character.  My experience as a motorcycle commuter definitely has improved my riding character.  Riding every day and depending on your motorcycle as your primary mode of transportation requires a focus and discipline that I simply did not have when I rode only recreationally.

Most importantly, commuting has made me a better rider.  When you are on the road every day, especially on Southern California freeways, you need to keep all of your senses on high alert to stay safe.  Maintaining safety margins, constantly using MSF’s SEE (Search-Evaluate-Execute) strategy, and carefully navigating traffic have become second nature.  I am not the most skilled rider, but commuting definitely has made me a safer one.

Commuting is fun and makes me feel good.  True, riding on freeways is not inspiring.  But how many people get to ride almost every day?  There is nothing better than cranking up the music and riding off into the sunset at the end of a long day.

Have you tried commuting on a motorcycle?  Share your thoughts and experiences.  Ride well.

(Look for Paul Vitrano’s next post on commuting later this week.)

You’re on your motorcycle.  It’s late at night.  Very little traffic.  You’re at a red light, waiting for it to turn green.  But it doesn’t.  It just stays red.  You glance over at the pedestrian crosswalk signal to see if it will start flashing the “don’t walk” warning light.  Nope.  Just the same happy “walk” light shining bright in the night.  Should you get off your bike and go hit the crosswalk button?  Maybe just drive through the red light since it’s obvious your bike hasn’t tripped the sensors?  Do you consider the light inoperative, which in some states allows you to proceed with caution?  Do you even know what the law is in your state?  Recently, a colleague attended a motorcycle law enforcement workshop and the consensus among the officers was that they would most likely cite the motorcyclist proceeding through a red light and let the individual work it out with a judge, unless they witnessed the motorcyclist “stuck” at a red light for more than one full cycle.  Bills allowing motorcyclists to proceed in these situations have been introduced in many states and some have been enacted into law.  For example, a bill was introduced in Indiana a few weeks ago that would allow motorcyclists to proceed through a steady red light if they come to a complete stop for two minutes and ensure it’s safe to proceed.

Sometimes light sensors seem to “say” what too many drivers who pull out, or turn in front of us, say…”I didn’t see him/her.”  What do you do in these situations?

What’s your opinion?  Should states require devices to detect motorcycles?  Is that a safer solution?  Motorcyclists are 2-3% of the registered vehicles, but are we getting 2-3% of the consideration?

I read this Future of Driving essay a few months ago in The Economist and it really stuck with me.  Even though the focus of the essay was on car driving trends and the future of the automobile, it just kept “screaming out” motorcycles as transportation to me.  The theme of the piece primarily centers on the wane, or “peak car,” of both car ownership and vehicle-kilometers driven in developing countries.  It was some of the evidence highlighted in the article that struck me as real opportunities for motorcycles – for transportation and leisure.  Here are some examples from the essay:

A global survey of teen attitudes by TNS, a consultancy, found that young people increasingly view cars as appliances not aspirations, and say social media give them the access to their world that would once have been associated with cars.  KCR, a research firm, has found that in America far more 18- to 34-year-olds than any other age group say socializing online is a substitute for some car trips.

My thoughts:  if this survey had been done among motorcyclists I’m confident motorcycles would never be viewed as an appliance and social media could never substitute for a weekend ride with friends.

Here’s another – research showed that among young car drivers utilizing car-sharing programs, attitudes toward cars were similar to their attitudes toward dating:  People get to try out different cars, different lifestyles, different identities.  By contrast, owning a car, they said, felt like being tied down – like a marriage. 

Do you know any motorcycle owners who compare their motorcycling experiences as being similar to being tied down in a marriage?  I didn’t think so.

The essay ends with a quote, “I’m looking for more” from a recent movie.  I suggest a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic RiderCourse.

Quick quiz:  is the motorcycle riding task more about techniques of the hands and feet or skills of the eyes and mind?

Answer:  The brain’s “executive functions” – what a rider thinks about and prioritizes while riding – are paramount in maintaining an alertness to maintain appropriate safety margins.  Since crashes are usually caused by a combination of factors, a good rider is one who uses a strategy to minimize risk.  Riding safely and responsibly requires more than having the basic skills to ride from one point to another.

Thinking.  Prioritizing.  Strategy.  Alertness.  Flexibility.  Risk mitigation.  Responsibility.  Margins.

Pretty much a day in the life of a CEO.  No wonder we see so many CEOs enjoying a weekend ride or using their bikes for transportation.

And consider the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s four-point approach used in its Rider Education and Training System (RETS), a comprehensive array of courses that address not only the fundamentals of learning to ride properly, but expands into the attitudinal and behavioral aspects for lifelong rider learning and development:

1. Have basic skills.  It is important for riders to have automated the fundamentals of motorcycle operation, particularly as it relates to the basic skills of control operation and path of travel requirements.
2. Be perceptive.  It is important for riders to have a mental set of expectations for identifying not only possible collision traps, but escape paths for eluding possible mishaps.
3. Crash avoidance skills.  It is important for riders to have the ability to brake hard and/or swerve to avoid imminent crash situations.  Of course it is better to use good visual perception to respond ahead of time by creating time and space than it is to react to an emergency.
4. Rider behavior.  Safe riding requires a safety-minded attitude, which is a function of the mind.

Delete motorcycle-related words from these four points and the language reads like something out of a leadership textbook.

The MSF sets high standards for its training and education programs.  Fundamental to program development is a clear understanding of the principles that undergird safety initiatives and a comprehensive approach to the riding task.  Having an effective program transcends simple information transfer, but requires delving deeper into the attitudes and motivations of riders.

In The MSF approach of Search-Evaluate-Execute forms the basis for defensive riding, and along with strategic conspicuity and hands-on practice of emergency maneuvers is highly beneficial.  But beyond the physical and perceptual skills of riding, a rider must possess a healthy regard for courtesy and cooperation in traffic combined with a strong value regarding the benefits of safety practices.

Perhaps a company evaluating their next CEO candidate should put that person through the MSF Rider Education and Training System?