MSF to conduct motorcycle rider education, training study
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) have entered a cooperative agreement to jointly fund a milestone $1.2 million, three-year study to determine the effectiveness of periodic involvement in a series of motorcycle rider education and training courses. Field research is expected to begin soon, as the pilot testing phase of the study is set to begin March 23 at a new California Motorcyclist Safety Program rider training facility in Long Beach, Calif.
Students in the study will first complete the MSF Basic RiderCourse, which is the learn-to-ride course in the MSF Rider Education and Training System. This training system consists of a series of interrelated hands-on and classroom courses developed by the MSF that are designed to increase knowledge, enhance skills, and improve risk management strategies.
Students who successfully complete the MSF Basic RiderCourse will be offered, via random sampling, three additional training opportunities at periodic intervals throughout the study.
Rider knowledge, skills, attitudes and experiences will be evaluated and measured over time. The University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center will provide an independent evaluation of research that will for the first time take a comprehensive, field-based look at the benefits of ongoing participation in a rider education and training system, and its subsequent effect on crash avoidance skills and real-world outcomes.
