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.
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I’ll be curious to see if he takes the experience any further than a instruction range.
I heard David speak recently at the Motor Press Guild luncheon. He was excellent, and I am very impressed that he took the BRC.
It is great to have someone with his responsibilities and perspective understand motorcycling first hand.
I hope Mr. Strickland chooses to ride more and grow his skill and experience.
What I hope and recommend even more is that the Motorcycle community encourages all adminstrators and legislators involved in governing motorcycle safety to take a basic motorcycle course near them so they might make these decisions from an informed position. That would be huge in improving the rules and laws motorcyclists operate under.
Oly Olsen
Instructor
Whidbey Island, Washington
Great article! I hope Mr. Strickland becomes a rider.
Congratulations Mr. Strickland, welcome to the family!
THANK YOU!
Awareness and reflection are the keys to understanding. I’m sure your awareness of (our) issues and your reflection of (our) risks will help you discuss safety concerns/needs with others.
I’m very excited that others will follow your lead and take a safety course to learn (more) and appreciate (more) about risk management, personal protective gear (and federal standards of), and our riding community. “The more you know, the better it gets!”
Thank you again for your efforts and insight. “Welcome to the ride!”
KM
Mr. Strickland,
Now that you have taken the motorcycle course. Maybe you could fund more motorcycle safety programs, and not roadside motorcycle only checkpoints. All can reap the rewards better, with more safety programs and less BS of roadside checks. I don’t mean to come across mean. Well trained motorcyclist ride safer and smarter.
Thanks…..
Wow, whatta dramatic contrast to the NHTSA reign of Joan Claybrook ! I salute you, Mr. Strickland.
Echoing the suggestions of the prior poster, now that you have personally felt the positive impact of rider education, please advocate for more of that, and less of the negative roadside checks.
Helmets can be helpful, but roadcraft and riding skills save lives even better.