VICTORVILLE, CA (April 8, 2016) -- In recognition of May being Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, California Motorcyclist Safety Program (CMSP) sites are providing discounted, Total Control Training four-hour refresher skills courses to experienced riders on May 14 and 15.
Statistics show that the intricate physical riding techniques and nuanced cognitive-awareness skills needed to safely operate a motorcycle are best kept fresh with continuing education. Such programs have helped dramatically lower motorcycle-accident fatality rates among U.S. Army, Marine Corps and Navy personnel by 37 to 61 percent.
Established in 1987 and administered by the California Highway Patrol, CMSP is the state's official motorcycle-safety training program. It's responsible for training approximately 60,000 motorcyclists per year at more than 100 training sites throughout the Golden State.
CMSP provides beginning students with simple, entry-level motorcycles to use while taking their basic courses, allowing new riders to build a solid foundation of classroom and practical instruction in a structured environment before taking their own bikes on the nation's roads.
This initiative is being undertaken in cooperation with California's Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) Motorcycle Group. The SHSP is a statewide, data-driven program that coordinates with a wide range of organizations to reduce traffic-accident fatalities and serious injuries to motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists on public roads.
According to California's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System that collects and processes data from collision scenes, 451 fatalities and 2,083 severe injuries among motorcyclists constituted 18.3 percent of the state's totals in 2012.
America's armed forces discovered that a disproportionate number of these motorcycle-related deaths before 2008 were among service personnel. Prior to implementation of an extensive, recurring training program in 2008, more of them died on their personally owned motorcycles than in military conflicts.
To combat this trend, the armed forces have been leading the charge in motorcycle safety awareness and sustained training.
Scientific evidence has proven that continuing education for riders--using their personal motorcycles--is key to building long-lasting, advanced motorcycle-handling skills. The military's fatality statistics showed that riders who were required to take intermediate or advanced training on their bikes were much less likely to die while riding.
In 2007, the Navy found that all of its service members who died on motorcycles were on sportbikes. So, in 2008, it required all personnel who rode these race-bred machines to take a military-funded sportbike course on their own motorcycle. The statistical outcome was a 61 percent reduction in fatalities between 2008 and 2009.
During the same time period, the Marine Corps required their designated Motorcycle Mentors to take a third level of advanced training courses on their personal bikes. The Corps provided classes from Total Control Training, California Superbike School and others programs. The result was a 43 percent reduction in fatalities.
The Army also provided advanced riding courses for personnel to take on their bikes and ramped up its Leadership Intervention program as it related to motorcycles. In 2008 to 2009, the largest branch of the military suffered 37 percent fewer motorcycle-related fatalities.
All of the armed services have sustained these fatality reductions to the present day by maintaining their recurring training initiatives--requiring motorcycle-riding service members to take intermediate and advanced training courses on their personal machines.
On the civilian side, a multi-year study produced similar results. It discovered that fatality rates among motorcyclists who took only a basic riding course on training bikes were no different than those who had no training. However, a 61 percent reduction in fatalities was seen among basic-course graduates who followed up with intermediate rider-training courses on their own machines.
Looking to generate similar outcomes, the CMSP training sites are proudly offering the same opportunity for California's civilian riders in mid-May, during Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.
To participate in the refresher training program, experienced riders with a motorcycle endorsement on their valid California driver's license are invited to bring their street-legal bike, along with proof of registration and insurance, to participating CMSP training sites, which are listed below.
On May 14th and 15th, classes will run from 8:00 am to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Admission fees will vary between $65 to $100, depending upon location. More information about CMSP's experienced rider refresher training classes can be found at CMSP.msi5.com
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