Effectiveness of Motorcycle Training and Motorcyclists' Risk-Taking Behavior

Abstract

Persistent increases in motorcycle fatalities and injuries in recent years have heightened safety awareness and have focused attention on the role that motorcyclist training and education can play in reducing accident rates. In this study a 2005 sample of Indiana motorcyclists was used to estimate statistical models of the effectiveness of existing training programs in reducing accident probabilities. Statistical models relating to motorcyclist speed choice and helmet usage behavior were also estimated. The findings showed that those individuals who took beginning rider training courses were more likely to be involved in an accident than those who did not and that those who took the beginning course more than once were much more likely to be involved in an accident. Although explanations for these findings can range from the use of ineffective course material to changes in risk perception as a result of taking the course, another explanation is that riders who take the course are inherently less skilled than those who do not. The findings underscore the need for a careful and comprehensive study of rider skills and risk perceptions to maximize the effectiveness of motorcycle training courses.