If compulsory basic training is to make a contribution to rider safety, someone needs to make a substantial investment in it, says John Wheeler.
The notion of legislating for some form of Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) for motorcyclists has been put forward.
This, from a Government department that cannot even organise itself to update the Rules of the Road, looks as if there are all the ingredients for a hurried, ill-considered, knee-jerk patch-up. All road users should have some training before going out on their own. Yet many car provisional licence holders are driving alone from day one.
Imposing compulsory basic training on bikers would mean that the rider would have to undergo some form of training before being allowed to ride on the road without supervision. So how would they get this training?
Adding together the properly qualified motorcycle instructors in Ireland with the Irish Rider Training Association (IRTA) and Star Rider, there are less than 50 qualified instructors in the State.
Due to lack of demand, the majority work part-time. But they are already providing voluntary basic training, in some cases for those without their own machine.
Compulsory basic training would mean that many more instructors would be needed if we are to avoid the sort of ridiculous queues that currently exist for the driving test. If newcomers to motorcycling are compelled to undergo basic training, that training must be of a very high order. That means having enough properly qualified instructors available right across the State.
As both IRTA and Star Rider have found, while there is a goodly number of people who are "interested" in becoming motorcycle instructors, only a minority have the essential high level of riding and communication skills.
No matter how instructor training is organised, even with a high voluntary labour input, the cost of training is in excess of €1,000. On top of that is the cost of essential equipment; bike-to-bike radios, school bikes, the instructors machines, bike insurance, professional indemnity and public liability cover.
Then there is the need for safe training areas where trainees can be taught machine handling skills before going out on busy roads. Even in a compulsory situation, it's difficult to see how, for example, one qualified instructor in Co Donegal could make a living. There would be less than 30 candidates in a full year.
If compulsory basic training really aims to make a useful contribution to rider safety, to reduced accidents and fatalities, someone will have to make a substantial investment.
The obvious source of funds is the State. Given all the apparent "constraints" there would be little enthusiasm for that. IRTA, a not-for-profit body, is not given adequate funding. A public-private partnership? It's doubtful that any commercial body could provide CBT at anything approaching "reasonable" cost.
A more realistic approach would be for the insurance companies to reward, by way of lower initial premiums, those riders who, in the current voluntary context, have done a specific and recognised course of basic training.
They do this for car drivers, they don't for motorcyclists. The few new riders who already get training before they acquire their own machine, get no credit for doing this. Their premiums are the same as those who think they can manage without training.
Many aspects surrounding CBT need to be carefully thought out. Knee-jerk, crisis management approaches will not work.
The imposition of the "125" law many years ago was envisaged as a panacea for motorcycle accident reduction. In fact, the accident rate increased as a result.
Even though the same Rules of the Road apply, the youngster aiming to ride a 50cc "twist and go" moped will need a different kind of training compared with the 45-year-old intending to ride a more powerful conventional machine.
While Ireland has a worrying level of motorcycle "single vehicle" accidents, in the majority of accident situations where a motorcycle and another vehicle are involved, it is the "other" vehicle that is the primary cause. Compelling the motorcyclist, but not the car driver, to undergo training will not solve all the problems.
Much could be achieved quickly and economically by encouragement rather than compulsion. Encouragement is in the hands of the insurers who should provide incentives to those who do basic training, as they do for those who do advanced training.
Meantime, those who need voluntary basic training should contact IRTA at www.irishridertraining.com or phone Jim Fisher on 043-71230 or Seamus Kelly of Fingal County Council's Star Rider scheme on 01-890 5000.