Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The chances of being in a motorcycle accident are approximately 1 in 100. With a whopping 8.6 million motorcycles registered in the United States, that makes for a significant amount of motorcycle accident-related injuries and fatalities each year. To help combat these statistics, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) has partnered with Florida SafeRider to provide motorcyclists with quality motorcycle training, with the hopes of promoting safe driving habits in individuals who are new to riding as well as seasoned motorcycle owners.
“Our primary goal is to make sure the motorcycles on the roads are safe and legal,” says John Pretti, owner of Florida SafeRider. “There is a 15 hour minimum requirement for motorcycle licenses, but we strongly suggest and encourage people to come back to get more training.”
One of the motorcycle classes offered by SafeRider is called the Basic Rider Course, and completion of the class is what allows civilians to get their license in order to ride legally. The course consists of five hours of online participation in an E-course, which must be completed before participants can move on to the riding portion of the class, which consists of 10 hours of riding practice spanned over two days. The curriculum of this course is under the umbrella of the FLHSMV, who oversees all training to ensure the quality. Mark Welch currently works as Operations Manager for FLHSMV, and mentions that this partnership also allows for the training of new coaches across Florida, and with over 61 schools within the state, having well-trained coaches is a big deal.
It isn't just civilians that get to participate in the motorcycle course – through their partnership with FLHSMV, Florida SafeRider is able to also train individuals working in many different branches of law enforcement, including local law enforcement, FHP, Leon County Sheriff's Office and Tallahassee Police Department. Many of these organizations arrange the training through their academies. Even Florida State University (FSU) has contracted Pretti to arrange training opportunities.
The training for law enforcement is more intense than civilian courses, although all civilians are encouraged to continue training even after completing sufficient courses to earn a license. Law enforcement must complete 80 hours of training, and generally continue training once a month for eight hours to encourage retention and good practice.
The purpose of these training courses is to instill a good understanding of the fundamentals of motorcycle riding. The instructors touch on many topics, ranging from basic controls and how to use them, to strategies for safe driving. The classes seek to modify behaviors that lead to negative statistics, and encourage all motorcyclists to drive safely, wear the proper gear and always be on alert for other vehicles.
The law enforcement training takes these lessons a step further, and trains new and experienced law enforcement individuals on how to safely and efficiently conduct traffic stops, handle pursuits and how to make swift decisions while working on the job.
“There are only so many ways you can go around a cone,” says Pretti, describing the training. “We want to teach them how to safely swerve, brake and make split-second decisions while riding that could save lives. We want cyclists to be smart riders, legal riders, and to wear the appropriate gear – we are talking helmets, gloves, jackets, pants and boots.”
The SafeRider facility is located in Jefferson County at 300 Industrial Park. A beneficial and relatively unique feature of this specific facility is the connection between the classroom and driving range, which are both included together at the same location. Many facilities do not have an on-site driving facility, and must separate the classroom portion of training and the driving portion by location, meaning when the class is complete, the participants must then travel to a separate driving site to complete the additional driving portion of the course.
While this facility does lie in the heart of Jefferson County, it is utilized by civilians and law enforcement alike from Taylor, Madison, Hamilton, Suwannee, Leon, Wakulla, and Gadsden counties. Those interested in obtaining a motorcycle license and completing the training course can register at Floridasaferiderinc.com
Both Pretti and Welch belong to the Florida Motorcycle Safety Coalition, and regularly participate in the Ride Smart Florida Program. Every three months they meet with others in their field to discuss motorcycle safety and statistics throughout the state. During these meetings, they listen to input from doctors and local law enforcement to address current patterns or statistics in order to find ways of improving motorcycle safety throughout Florida.
With 8.6 million motorcycles registered in the U.S., it is safe to say they make for a popular way to get around. By ensuring that as many motorcyclists as possible receive adequate lessons and training on motorcycle safety, Florida SafeRider and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles are using their partnership to help make a difference in motorcycle statistics.
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