By Dr. Donald L. Green, 4 October 2022
For the last few days, I have been engaging with the IFZ and participating in the 14th International Motorcycle Conference. Participating from afar with streaming technology has made what once seemed too difficult to attain practical and affordable. It looks as if we are on the cusp of many changes within the Motorcycle Rider Education community, and maybe it is time we take a collective hard look at where we are going.
1) Each ONE of us has a voice and can make a difference in someone’s motorcycle journey. A friend who recently started riding told his daughter that wearing a helmet was only for those states where the law requires it. When I saw this message on Facebook, I quickly replied about how vital his life would be to his daughter if an incident happened. I also professed the increased chance of survivability with a helmet. This guy had a very challenging past and decided for his family maybe it was worth the trouble. Anyone of us can make this kind of difference.
2) There are TWO reasons for crashes, the first are things – equipment, roads, and machines, and the second, are people. Motorcycle Rider Education focuses more and more on the people because it is the most challenging part to address. Those who spend time on things will continue to be able to test, evaluate, measure, and, most of the time, predict what can happen. Predicting and measuring people’s behaviors is a much more difficult task. I am reminded of the anonymity of a car driver who makes a mistake while we watch. It is easy for us to say a “car” did that. If a motorcyclist makes a mistake or offends someone, it is not the motorcycle that did it; it is the motorcyclist who did it. Think about how that changes how people view motorcyclists.
3) As the advent of modern motorcycling changes all around us, there are THREE things we must give attention to 1 – a RiderCoach Corps able to facilitate the increase of knowledge and betterment supporting student needs; 2 – Relooking the changes in our student’s experiences and how it effects how we encourage their learning; and 3 – Supporting how modern motorcycles integrate into the safe system approach to include how motorcycles are seen by other vehicles and how new drive systems affect their integration.
I hope everyone has a great week!
