Training Works
Springtime. The weather is beginning to improve. The ride calendar is filling up. The news is filled with stories about the motorcycle fatality rate and renewed calls for mandatory helmet laws. As they do every year, those who claim that helmets are the answer to motorcyclist fatalities are oversimplifying the problem.
Make no mistake, helmets save lives and reduce injuries. No reasonable person can argue that they don't. But helmets are only part of the solution to the high death rate for motorcyclists.
One need look no further than a handful of states to see the complexity of the problem. No helmet states like New Hampshire and Iowa have some of the lowest fatality rates in the country. Yet two mandatory helmet states, Mississippi and Maryland have two of the highest. Clearly, helmet use is not the complete answer.
Out on the west coast, in another mandatory helmet state, there may be another piece of the puzzle. The fatality rate in Oregon has remained essentially flat at approximately half the national average since 2001. This in spite of a 43% increase in the number of registered motorcycles in the state. So what's different? One word: training.
Approximately 70 percent of Oregon riders receive rider training through a program called Team Oregon. The program is sponsored by the Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon State University. Team Oregon has been recognized as one of the best in the country and is mandatory for riders under 21 years old.
It is clear that Oregon is on to something. One can only hope that other states will take notice and adopt the Team Oregon program or create others of their own. Reducing motorcyclist fatalities is a complex problem. A well trained rider is less likely to find themselves in a dangerous situation and better equipped to react when they are.
John Davis is a rider and writer. His current ride is Victoria, a candy red Honda VTX1800 Retro. John writes for several web sites and blogs in addition to his own site, NorthwestCycleReport.
