Preparation Means More Than a Full Tank
Virginia Rider Training Program Readies New Motorcyclists for the Open Road
by Jim Cannon, Director of the Virginia Coalition of Motorcyclists (VCOM)
A motorcycle is definitely in your future. You’ve thought about it for a while. You’ve ridden your friends’ bikes. Now, it’s your turn. Time to head to the dealership, checkbook in hand.
Bad plan. Motorcycles are my life’s work and I live to ride, so I hope you’ll take my advice when I tell you the first step is not the purchase. The smart first step is to prepare the rider.
At the risk of sounding like your high school driver’s ed teacher, the best ride is the safe ride. Riding defensively is absolutely essential to the health of you and your bike. The fact is, we have a lot of company out there. While our numbers are growing rapidly – Virginia now has about 260,000 licensed motorcyclists -- most of the vehicles we share the road with are cars, SUVs and commercial trucks. Accidents are inevitable and for obvious reasons we’re at an extreme disadvantage when we collide with a motor vehicle.
As a new motorcyclist, your top priority is to avoid an accident, and knowledge and experience are powerful tools. You need to know everything you can about riding and about anticipating and avoiding a collision. Your best option is to take advantage of the expertise of the professionals, and enroll in the Virginia Rider Training Program, managed by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
The program’s basic course for new riders includes about six hours of class instruction and 10 hours more on a bike utilizing a specially designed course set up in a large, empty parking lot. The program takes two to three days, generally on weekends and evenings. The class room work covers the laws governing motorcycling and recommendations for handling situations you’re likely to encounter. (Yes, there is a test.) Then, out on the practice range, you put your new knowledge to work on a bike, learning basic motorcycle operations, turning, braking, and obstacle avoidance.
Locating the Virginia Rider Training Program in your community is easy. The course is offered at 16 community colleges around the state and in the Richmond area at the Motorcycle Safety Center in Ashland. For those areas of the state without a community college based program, the DMV and the Motorcycle Safety League of Virginia, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to education, operate a mobile motorcycle training unit, a 32-foot trailer with class room facilities and training motorcycles.
If your personal safety isn’t reason enough to take the course, consider that it can save you some time in getting the license to ride your bike in Virginia. Your standard driver’s license does not include operating your motorcycle. State law requires the addition of the Class M designation to your driver’s license, or you can get a special license for operating motorcycles only. Successfully completing the rider training program will exempt you from certain requirements for licensing including in most cases taking a motorcycle roads skill test. Also, the course materials and tests will prepare you for the written motorcycle knowledge exam. More detailed information on the training program is available at your local DMV office, or log onto www.dmv.state.va.
And there’s an additional incentive to successfully completing the rider training program -- it may also save you some money in the amount you pay for insurance coverage. Check with your insurance company for details.
Finally, if your social life needs a boost, in addition to everything you’ll learn, you’ll also make many new friends in the community of bikers. Last year alone, approximately 9,000 motorcyclists completed beginner, experienced rider, and trike and sidecar courses offered in Virginia’s program.
Once you’ve successfully completed your training course, the road is wide open and you’re ready to roll. You have knowledge, some experience, and probably a clearer idea of the size and model motorcycle you want. Now is the time to go shopping for your bike. Have a great time, and ride safe.
For more information on safe riding and other issues concerning motorcycling, check the VCOM website at vcomonline.org or call us at 1-800-437-9434.
June 2004
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