25 Years of Motorcycle Training in Canada

In 1974, responding to the high number of collisions, deaths and injuries involving motorcycles, Transport Canada and the motorcycle industry gave the Canada Safety Council seed funding for a national program to train beginning motorcyclists, the first of its kind in the world.

Today, 70 per cent of new riders in Canada take Gearing UpCCanada's Motorcycle Skills Course. In its 25 years, over 1/4 million novice and experienced riders have taken the course. The program is so highly regarded that most provincial governments grant motorcycle operator licences to successful graduates with no further testing.

Most importantly, the number of motorcycle crashes has dropped dramatically. Motorcycle fatalities dropped from a high of 903 in 1973, to an all-time low of 120 in 1997.

In January, 1999, the Canada Safety Council hosted a national motorcycle safety conference in celebration of the 25^th anniversary of motorcycle training in Canada.

Who=s having the crashes and why?

Dr. Herb Simpson of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation attributes the impressive decreases in motorcycle deaths and injuries to safety improvements, not reduced exposure. The risk of death or injury in the event of a collision still makes the motorcycle a relatively risky means of transportation, so the key is to minimize the likelihood of a crash. Data show a few common factors in motorcycle crashes:

• Alcohol: Riders who have been drinking, especially those who drink a considerable amount, comprise a significant portion of those involved in serious crashes.
• Unlicenced: A study of 2,700 fatally injured and seriously injured motorcyclists in California found that 2/3 did not have a valid license. The Motorcycle Rider Safety Council found that 30 per cent of fatally injured riders in Ontario were not properly licenced.
• No helmets: In 1996, 41 per cent of the motorcyclists killed in Canada were not wearing a helmet. This finding underlines the importance of helmets, especially when one considers how few riders are observed without a helmet on Canadian roads!
• At fault: In 65 to 70 per cent of cases, the rider was at-fault, including high BAC, running a traffic control device and traveling in the wrong lane. Only nine per cent of serious collisions were not the rider=s fault, mostly left-turns where a motorist did not see the motorcycle.

How can motorcycle safety be still be improved? The Canada Safety Council agrees with the challenges identified:

• more effective protective equipment and gear;
• better conspicuity of motorcycles and riders;
• improved awareness of motorists to share the road;
• education and training that focuses not only on skills but attitudes; and
• a pressing need to address the high-risk rider.

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