Citation

McDavid JC, Lohrmann BA, Lohrmann G. J. Saf. Res. 1989; 20(2): 61-72.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, U.S. National Safety Council, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article describes a study conducted in British Columbia to ascertain whether the British Columbia Safety Council's 37-hour motorcycle safety training program has a measurable impact on accidents. Two matched groups of motorcycle riders are compared from 1979 through 1984. Members of one group passed the Safety Council's training course during 1979 and received their Class 6 (motorcycle) license after completing the course. Members of the other group also obtained their Class 6 license in 1979, but did not receive any formal motorcycle training. Comparisons of the driving records of formally trained and informally trained (henceforth untrained) riders reveal that there are observable differences in the frequency and severity of accidents between the two groups. Trained riders tend to have fewer accidents of all kinds (all motor vehicle accidents combined), fewer motorcycle accidents, and less severe motorcycle accidents. Although these differences are not large in a statistical sense, they suggest that when care is taken to carefully match trained and untrained riders, training is associated with a reduction in accidents. Given that motorcycle accidents tend to be much more severe than automobile accidents, the evidence from the study supports the use of training as a means of reducing the human and material costs of motorcycle accidents.