Riding Courses Don’t Make Motorcyclists Safer, Study Says

A recent study conducted by the Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the IIHS revealed that motorcycle training courses don’t make riders safer, neither do they decrease the risk of crashing. However, helmets and ABS systems on motorcycles can be life savers.

“We are not saying they aren’t supposed to get training, but we need to have realistic expectations about what training can do,” said Anne McCartt, the senior vice president for research at the Insurance Institute.

As said, it is not so certain what are the safety benefits of mandatory training programs for young drivers in some states. The study compared insurance claims in four states that required riders under 21 to take courses with states that did not. The study noted a 10 percent increase in crashes in states that required the courses.

“I certainly think it is compelling that rider training classes don’t seem to be keeping people safer,” she added. “People need to know how to operate motorcycles, and I think a training course would be a good way for someone to learn how to do that.”

These findings are part of a number of studies the institutes have just released on motorcycles. The study also recently revealed that motorcycles fitted with ABS system versus those without are 37 percent less likely to be in involved fatal crashes.

Moreover, bike models with antilocks have 22 percent fewer claims for damage per insured vehicle year (a vehicle year is 1 vehicle insured for 1 year, 2 insured for 6 months, etc.) than the same models without antilocks.