Is there a motorcycle awareness module in your Auto Driver Training School’s course curriculum?
The concept of putting a motorcycle safety and awareness module into the auto driver training schools initiated in Virginia in 1999/2000 with American Motorcyclists Association member Alan Broom with others getting legislation passed in Virginia.
In year 2000, a 19-year old kid lighting a bong crossed his vehicle over the yellow line hitting and killing Nelson Selig of Essex, MA, that ignited a local ROAR of bikers into action.
We remembered Alan and contacted the AMA asking them to put him in contact with us to pick his brain on how they did it in Virginia. And Alan replied.
Through public records requests and contacting various agencies and associations, we found over 200,000 “kids,” under the age of 20 (‘teenagers’) had driver’s licenses and were operating here in Massachusetts.
Of those 200,000+, about 90% went through a formal ‘driver’s education’ program at one of our 250 licensed Auto driver training schools.
The Driver Training Schools’ course curriculum, about 32 hours, had NO MENTION of motorcycle awareness or ‘sharing the road’ with motorcyclists.
We filed “Nelly’s Bill,” in memory of Nelson’s death, to put an awareness module in our Massachusetts Driver Training School’s course curriculum.
In 2004, our Governor signed “Nelly’s Bill” into law. Since that time, our Registry of Motor Vehicles advises us about 50,000 ‘teenagers’ are newly licensed in Massachusetts each year, with still 90% going through the Driver Training Course, and now get 8 to 15 minutes of ‘Sharing the Road with Motorcycles’ tips.
If you think this is a worthwhile endeavor for saving lives and reducing injuries in your State, here are some starting points – gather info, research, and knowledge:
- Find out if Auto Driving Schools in your State are ‘licensed,’ (or can anybody just open a driver training school ?)
- What State agency ‘licenses’ Auto Driver Training Schools
- Ask the State Licensing Agency
- How many licensed driving schools are in our State?
- How many people go through the formal courses each year ?
- Is there a ‘motorcycle awareness module or components in the Required Course Curriculum ?” If so, ask to ‘see it.’ If not, ask “Why not? . . . and how do we get a ‘motorcycle awareness module’ into the course curriculum?’ The licensing agency may be able to do it administratively or it may be by legislation which you then will need a Bill filed to amend to include into the curriculum).
- Find out from your Registry of Motor Vehicles – via a Public Records Request or via you local State Senator or Rep’s office, how many drivers licenses were issued in 2017 and 2019 to people born in 1999, 1998, 1997, and 1996 (teenagers). (Your RMV likely requires dates of birth on driver’s licenses and can ‘easily’ retrieve this information
- Work with your State Agency and Official to add a required module for motorcycle awareness into the Driver Training Schools course curriculum,
- Start exposing teenage drivers to ‘sharing the road’ tips for motorcycle awareness. And it’s not only teenagers going through these professional driving school courses but other young and older adults.
If you want help or need more information, contact me, Paul W. Cote, in Massachusetts, via e-mail ClaimsCote@aol.com and I’ll work with you.