Rider Training - Voluntary or Mandatory?

Voluntary Incentive Systems / Mandatory Systems / Voluntary Model Works Better

Ontario and Quebec share similar motorcycle riding environments. Both provinces have a comparable climate, riding season and number of motorcycles. Ontario has a population of 11.5 million, and 106,419 motorcycles registered for use on its roads. Quebec, with a population of 7.5 million, has 97,327 motorcycles registered.

However, the two jurisdictions have taken very different approaches to motorcycle rider licensing and training since the mid 1980s. From 1985 to 1997, motorcycle rider training was mandatory in Quebec, while Ontario had voluntary rider licensing incentives.

Voluntary Incentive Systems

Ontario encourages new riders to take training by offering licensing incentives and insurance discounts to rider training graduates. Training is viewed as a means to learn how to operate a motorcycle in a safe and skilled manner. The number of new riders licensed and the enrollment in rider training programs has continued to rise over the past five years, even though motorcycle registration has remained relatively constant.

Ontario's voluntary system has some advantages over Quebec's mandatory system.

• Monitoring of school quality is less cumbersome.
• The cost for a person to take the program is 20 to 40 per cent lower.
• Fewer riders try to buy graduation certificates, since the certificate is not required to obtain a motorcycle license.

However, voluntary incentive systems for rider training also have drawbacks:

• A longer time frame is required for program growth.
• It is difficult to serve remote areas with low rider population.
• Capital investment may be harder to find with no captive market.
• Some riders will always choose not to take training — although in Ontario 85 per cent of new riders take the Canada Safety Council course.

Legislative incentives, such as recognized licensing testing at rider training sites in Ontario, have increased rider training enrolment. Novice riders also perceive the insurance discount as reducing the net cost of their training.

Convenience and cost, together with a reputable rider training program, are two major incentives to take training. The high rate of training is a factor in the consistently low rate of rider fatalities in the province.

Mandatory Systems

Quebec implemented mandatory training in 1985, moved to non-mandatory training without incentives in 1997 and then re-introduced mandatory training in 2000.

Quebec's mandatory rider training model offers significant benefits:

• First and foremost, it saves lives, as shown by the 46 per cent increase in fatalities when enrolment fell after Quebec withdrew its mandatory program in 1997.
• Mandatory programs are quicker to implement and expand.
• They reach remote areas more easily.
• Private capital needed to purchase motorcycles and equipment is easier to find because there is a captive audience.

However, the Quebec system also demonstrates the drawbacks inherent in government-mandated training:

• A higher training cost for riders, due to the involvement of "for profit" driving school businesses.
• More reported cases of fraud, such as selling graduation certificates.
• The delinquency rate (riders without licenses) is estimated at 15 per cent.
• Because training is mandatory, new riders view it simply as the means to get a motorcycle license, as shown by the drop when the requirement was removed.

Quebec's government-run auto insurer, la Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec, cannot offer insurance discounts, since all novice riders must complete rider training.

Voluntary Model Works Better

Ontario's voluntary rider training system has realized better results that Quebec's mandatory system. It has required less government intervention, is less costly, provides a better outlook with respect to motorcycle safety and has led to a lower rider fatality rate. Based on the experiences in these two Canadian jurisdictions, it appears that Ontario offers a better model for future rider training enrolment and rider safety.

Experience across the border confirms this Canadian comparison. Many US states mandate safety courses for younger riders, but middle-aged riders are not required to take training. Over the past five years, fatalities among riders 35 and over have risen by nearly 60 per cent in that country, while there has been a 22 per cent drop among younger riders.

Based on a presentation by Raynald Marchand of the Canada Safety Council at the 2001 International Motorcycle Safety Conference, March 1 to 4, 2001, Orlando, Florida, USA

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Safety Canada, July 2001

Motorcycle Training Program

Motorcycle Safety