By Dr. Donald L. Green, 28 February 2022
A common misperception attached to taking the sometimes-mandatory Basic Rider Course is that graduates have every skill necessary to ride safely on the road. What the basic course does provide is the minimal exposure to motorcycle control and an introduction to the perceptual and mental skills necessary to operate a motorcycle on the road. For typical beginners, it provides exposure to a large amount of information in hopes that the student will seek more understanding about motorcycle operations and characteristics. For experienced riders, it is an opportunity to re-think some habits and look hard at behaviors considered less than appropriate while riding. The view asserting a Basic Rider Course is sufficient for a lifetime of riding is a misperception worthy of changing now and for the the long term future.
In the past, obtaining a license to drive and ride was a rite-of-passage. Every teenager yearned for the day when they could take “the test” and enter the world of freedom to transport themselves at a whim. A common trend amongst the current younger driver population is to delay licensure beyond traditional periods to avoid graduated drivers licensing (GDL) laws, the expense of operating a vehicle, and seek other options as transportation in urban environments is readily available (Sivak & Schoettle, 2016; Nicks, 2016). An additional effect of the trends are decreasing experience levels of the driver/rider who enters the roadway beyond the mandatory GDL periods. Conner and Smith (2016) identified increasing crash rates of drivers in the age groups 18-20 in their study of GDL in Ohio involving drivers between the age of 16 to 20 years. Crashing drivers can translate into crashing riders as more skill and ability is necessary to operate a two wheeled vehicle.
Add the phenomena of contemporary urban-centric transportation systems such as Uber, Lyft, taxi, bus, and subways in the United States, and the once common rite-of-passage of learning to drive/ride has been replaced the familiarity of vehicle operation with service industries (Sivak & Schoettle, 2016; Nicks, 2016). Some are delaying learning to operate vehicles until absolutely necessary, posing a delay in gaining knowledge and experience. The phenomenon has manifested within the military as new recruits require more training on how to operate vehicles in preparation for service at significantly higher rates than in previous eras. Gone are the days where nearly everyone learned to balance on a bicycle, or maneuver the family vehicle sitting on the lap of their parents or in their driveway.
A common thought, as discussed by Leonard Evans (2004), is driving skill increases over time with familiarity in a realm of decades, not hours or days. Although skill increases rapidly during initial learning, the real ability to drive and ride takes more than a few hours with an instructor or coach. The foremost contributor to elevated vehicle crash rates is human behavior, which is greatly influenced by inexperience as well as unconscious incompetence. In the specific case of motorcycles, limited or no previous driving experiences creates a more complicated scenario in providing experiences for a student to learn operational characteristics of a motorcycle and how to behaviorally address riding in a short, measured amount of time.
It is vital to contrast the previous notion with a clear understanding that without any rider education, the severity of crashes and mortality rates would more than likely be significantly higher. An investigative person can quickly look at crash statistics from the 1980s in comparison to present reports per capita to see a decrease in injury and mortality, predominantly as a result of increased learning and safety education, along with improved vehicle technology. Although much research has shown little direct evidence for the statement above, the reason afforded by many is the predominant methodological weakness in previous research (Kardamanidis, Martiniuk, Ivers, Stevenson, and Thistlethwaite, 2010). In addition to the paucity of solid longitudinal research, the most recent research indicates the emphasis on motor skill development without a more solid additional aspects of behavioral or cognitive aspect necessary to ride in a social environment.
During the COVID Pandemic, where physical distancing became a method of risk prevention, some advocates of health requested a re-look at motorcycle rider education to decrease the necessity for close physical contact. Recommendations include but were not limited to distancing in the classroom and/or on the range to reduce potential infection through proximal contact, canceling classes altogether, and removing the classroom requirements. What seems to be absent is the acknowledgment of the detrimental effects of having an already minimalized education platform marginalized even more by reducing content. Are the unintended consequences being considered? In an era where more time and focused practice should be considered for rider education, there seems to be a trend to decrease exposure.
Given the evidence that riding requires appropriate behavior and vital previous experience to decrease risk on the roadway, it seems reasonable to question the consideration of a reduction of current rider education requirements. Moreover, why is there not a heightened emphasis on the necessary conditions for a minimal basic rider education requirement to expand content for improved and longer lasting positive outcomes? Research has established the inclusion of information concerning self-assessment, perception, behavioral features, and repetitive safety renewal components are critical until the skill and expertise are well established. Appropriate graduate social behavior should be demonstrated via a lack of traffic infractions and operator experience over time, something difficult to measure after only a few hours or days. Perhaps following the successful models demonstrated in Europe and Australia is an answer to the problem in America.
To be clear, this is not a recommendation to limit the ability to obtain licensure. It is a call to use the evidence we have on hand to improve motorcycle rider training and education through enhanced research and implementation of what is already known about the human element to have positive outcomes for motorcycle riders. To restrict, deny, or decrease learning even more, will only exacerbate the problem creating a greater paradox than already exists.
References
Conner, K. A., & Smith, G. A. (2016). An evaluation of the effect of Ohio’s graduated driver licensing law on motor vehicle crashes and crash outcomes involving drivers 16 to 20 years of age. Journal of Traffic Prevention, 18(4), 344-350.
Evans, L. (2004). Traffic Safety. Bloomfield Hills, MI: Science Serving Society.
Kardamanidis, K., Martiniuk, A., Ivers, R. Q., Stevenson, M. R., & Thistlethwaite, K. (2010). Motorcycle rider training for prevention of road traffic crashes (review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 10. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD0052 40.pub2
Nicks, D. (2016). Why there’s been a huge decline in drivers’ licenses for millennials and gen x. Money. Retrieved from https://money.com/millennials-drivers-licenses-gen-x/
Sivak, M, & Schoettle, B. (2016). Recent decreases in the proportion of persons with a driver’s license across all age groups. The University of Michigan, Transportation Research Center. Report No. UMTRI-2016-4
