Motorcycle Safety Classes Can Help at Any Age

DULUTH, MINN. — For much of the year in the northland, motorcycles and motorcyclists are not a part of the landscape. But in the summer, they seem to be just about everywhere. Drivers need to see motorcycles but ultimately it’s up to the cyclist to be alert and know how to operate your bike safely.

“Even if you do well, you could likely do better,” said Jay Bock, Motorcycle Safety Administrator at the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

That’s the bottom line for why you may want to consider taking a motorcycle training course.

Motorcycle fatalities happen all too frequently. Last year, there were 87 in Minnesota, the highest number in two years, and 80 fatalities in Wisconsin. So far this spring and early summer there have been 19 fatalities in Minnesota and 18 in Wisconsin.

“Just increasing your skill on the motorcycle is something that everybody, EVERYBODY can do, no matter if you’ve been riding for 10 minutes or 10 years.,” said Jacob Shaw a Rider, Coach, and Trainer for the Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center.

To improve your skills, Minnesota offers skill training classes through the Minnesota Motorcycle Safety Center. The basic class is offered at Lake Superior College and 21 other locations across the state.  Classes are for riders of all skill sets:   basic, intermediate, advanced, and expert.

Instructors at these classes cover much more ground than you might expect. Shaw said, ” It’s not just the motorcycle skills that we talk about, it’s what we like to call the upper half of the motorcycle, the person, how you interact in traffic, you know, what to look for. ”

A motorcycle crash often happens because of an error made by the other driver. But safety officials say motorcyclists themselves, are responsible for most of the crashes that become fatalities.

“Over half of these fatalities are happening with just the motorcyclist, so there is no other motorist,” said Bock. ” It’s either a curve in a roadway, unfamiliar territory, weather, a deer, or something of that nature. So having that skill set, and improving that skill set is definitely to the advantage of the rider.”

Instructors say it’s important for riders to consider what’s changed in their life. You’ve gotten older, has your response time slowed?  Have you bought a newer, more powerful bike and need to know the differences in how it handles? Those are only some of the reasons to take a class.

“Training matters, Safety should be the top of mind in order to be a safe rider, you need to be trained,” said Shaw.