 The Leading Edge - Fall 2007
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In this Issue...
Welcome to the Fall 2007 issue of The Leading Edge, the SMSA's official newsletter.
The peak riding season is drawing to a close, but our work as motorcycle safety professionals never ends . This issue of The Leading Edge highlights some of these accomplishments, including a review of the 2007 SMSA Annual Conference, and news of interest from Maryland, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
Is there something you would like to see included in The Leading Edge? If so, send it our way: LeadingEdge@smsa.org.
We look forward to receiving your feedback!
SMSA 2007 Annual Conference a Great Success
Paving the Way... for Safer Motorcycling..
On August 17 – 19, 2007, nearly 400 safety advocates met in Buffalo for the SMSA’s Annual National Motorcycle Safety Conference. The conference was hosted by the New York State Motorcycle Safety Program, with support from the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles, the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee and the Motorcycle Association of New York State, Inc.(MANYS). It was truly a national event with attendees coming from 44 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.
This year’s conference featured five Professional Development Workshops (PDW’s) developed by SMSA and the Traffic Safety Institute with funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A series of four PDW’s were designed specifically for Instructors/RiderCoaches. The Instructor PDW’s were a sell-out with all 240 seats filled. In a separate PDW, the state administers learned about impaired rider programs.
The Instructor/RiderCoach Appreciation Reception, sponsored by U.S. Insurance Services and Philadelphia Insurance on Friday evening, provided attendees an opportunity to meet with their counterparts from across the country. For many of the Instructors/RiderCoaches this is the one time each year where they would meet and renew friendships from previous SMSA conferences. While the sessions are most worthwhile, the social events are an equally important element of the annual conference.
Our New York hosts formally opened the conference with a presentation of the colors by an honor guard from the Division of State Police. DMV Commissioner David Swarts welcomed the attendees to Buffalo with a message of support for the motorcycle safety programs. He also recognized the New York RiderCoaches and volunteers for their contribution to the SMSA conference, especially the management and staff at “Ride with Pride”, the Erie County training providers.
Motivational speaker Brian Blasko got everyone’s engines revved with his presentation, “Cruisin’ Through Life at 35 MPH”. Saturday and Sunday sessions continued professional development with topics of interest to administrators, site managers and trainers.
On Saturday, thanks to Harley-Davidson, attendees were treated to dinner and an evening of historical interest at the Buffalo & Erie County Naval and Military Park along Lake Erie. The USS Little Rock, a guided missile cruiser, the destroyer USS The Sullivans and the WWII submariner USS Croaker were open for self-guided tours.
The 2007 conference also introduced a new evaluation process that uses an on-line survey tool. The SMSA Executive Committee has already begun planning for the 2008 conference to be held in Billings, Montana. The responses to the survey will be helpful in guiding the committee as they plan for next year.
SMSA Membership Renewal Highlights
Voting, Corporate, Professional and Supporting Associate Members
Invoices for 2008 membership dues will be mailed in late October or early November.
2008 memberships are effective January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008.
If you do not receive an invoice by the end of November, please contact the SMSA Business Office at smsabusinessmgr@smsa.org.
Supporting and Emeritus Associate Members
Email notifications are being sent out now to remind those who have expired memberships to renew. If you do not receive notification, please click on the link below to renew/activate your membership:
http://www.smsa.org/membership/membership_application/
New Membership Benefits
SMSA now offers a discounted conference registration fee for current members. Please click on the link below to review membership benefits:
http://www.smsa.org/membership/benefits_of_membership/
SMSA now offers one and two-year Supporting and Emeritus Associate Membership options. The two-year membership options provide a discounted membership rate. Please click on the link below to review one and two-year membership options:
http://www.smsa.org/membership/membership_application/
Promising Practices Result in Promising Information for MD
In 2006, the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) was awarded a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Promising Practice grant. The grant will allow the MVA to develop an Internet based central scheduling system and a comprehensive data collection system.
All the Maryland training centers will be required to use the central scheduling system to schedule individuals for their rider education courses. The centers will have access to the system to add their course schedules and any special motorcycle event. Customers can log on to the Internet site select a training center or ask for the next available opening in a course. Once they start the registration process the position is held until they pay the course fee or cancel out. Customers cannot be scheduled for multiple courses, but they can cancel a course and reschedule.
Standby and walk in customers will also use the system. Each training center will have access to the system to schedule these individuals. In addition to scheduling rider education courses, the system will be used to schedule licensing skill tests for individuals electing not to take a course. This will allow the MVA to start the process to collect information on everyone becoming a motorcycle operator.
When the rider education course is completed, the instructors will open the Internet site to report the course participant scores. The completion report will be based on the course roster created through the central scheduling process. The report will collect the scores from the knowledge test, the skill test and whether on not the participant would qualify for a motorcycle license. On the skill test, each the score on each skill test will be logged on the report. The instructor will submit the report to the MVA and a record will be created for each individual in what has been called the Motorcycle File. If the course participant qualifies for a motorcycle license, the file will update that person’s driving record indicating the individual now holds a motorcycle license. This Motorcycle File will not maintain a record of this individual to track when the individual got the motorcycle license, if person registered a motorcycle, if the individual completed additional training, if the individual was convicted for a moving violation on a motorcycle, if the person was in a motorcycle crash, if the person went to the hospital, the injuries received and the cost for medical treatment. Nothing in the file will be over written or erased.
This Motorcycle File will also gather information on everyone applying for a motorcycle learner’s permit, the number of times the individual took the knowledge and skill tests, the score for each test, when the license was issued or if the person never completed the licensing process. Once in the file the MVA will collect the same information as the individual that completed a rider-training course.
Once a year the information in the file will be sent the Maryland National Study Center to be analyzed. The National Study Center will be able to identify trends and the impact of rider education and licensing on motorcycle crashes, injuries and fatalities.
IN Motorcycle Safety Program Reaches Milestone
For people who want to learn how to ride a motorcycle or improve their current riding skills and knowledge, the State of Indiana offers the Indiana Motorcycle Operator Safety Education Program. The program, which began 20 years ago, will be training its 75,000th student today, Indianapolis resident Joy Sipe.
Offered in 17 locations around the state, the program follows a standard curriculum taught by instructors who have been nationally certified by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) and who meet the additional requirements of the State Program. All contractors also meet or exceed the requirements of the MSF and the State of Indiana. The program is administered through the Indiana Department of Education, is conducted through three contractors: ABATE of Indiana, Inc.; Kokomo Center Township Consolidated School Corporation; and the Indiana State University Motorcycle Safety Program.
For more information on the Indiana Motorcycle Operator Safety Education Program, please see www.doe.state.in.us/safety/mre.html.
WI Distributes Intersection Kits
By Ron Thompson, Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Motorcycle Safety Program has purchased 500 Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) “Intersection” kits with NHTSA 2010 funds and distributed them to all public and private driver education providers as well as all commercial truck driving schools. A new law effective October 1, 2006 required that all driver education providers include information regarding sharing the roadway with motorcyclist, bicyclists and pedestrians. This kit is an excellent way to meet the requirements of the law as it pertains to motorcyclists.
In addition, all training sites and members of the Motorcycle Safety Advisory Council (MoSAC) also received copies for outreach purposes. Approximately 50 percent of Wisconsin motorcyclist fatality crashes involve another vehicle.
SMSA Thanks 2007 Conference Contributors
SMSA would like to extend a special thank-you to those who donated door prizes during the 2007 conference in Buffalo, New York ~ August 17-19, 2007.
Thank you for your continued support of the SMSA and their annual conference. We look forward to seeing you in Billings, Montana for the 2008 Annual Conference.
Ashland Inc.
CIMA International
Motorcycle Consumer News Magazine
Sargent Cycle Products
Works Performance Products, Inc.
Florida Rider Training Program
Indiana Department of Education
Maryland Motorcycle Safety Program
Minnesota Department of Public Safety
Motorcycle Ohio
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program
Tennessee Department of Safety
Texas Department of Public Safety
Virginia Rider Training Program
Your Regional Representatives
Eastern Region
Mr. Andrew Krajewski, Secretary
(Term expires 8/2009)
Maryland Driver Education and Licensing
6601 Ritchie Highway NE
Blen Burnie, Maryland 21062
Phone: 410-424-3731
Fax: 410-787-7742
Email: akrajewski@mdot.state.md.u
Mr. Louie Kyler
(Term expires 8/2008)
Florida Rider Training Program
Division of Driver Licenses
2900 Apalachee Parkway, B-211, MS88
Orlando, Florida 32399-0571
Phone: 407-719-5022
Fax: 850-488-2683
Email: Louie.Kyler@hsmv.state.fl.us
www.motorcycle.hsmv.state.fl.us
Central Region
Mr. John Bodeker
(Term expires 8/2009)
Indiana Department of Education
Division of School/Traffic Safety
Room 229, State House
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204-2798
Phone: 317-232-0893
Fax: 317-233-0858
E-mail: jbodeker@doe.state.in.us
www.ideanet.doe.state.in.us/safety/mre.html
Mr. Ronald Thompson
(Term expires 8/2008)
Wisconsin Motorcycle Safety Program
4802 Sheboygan Ave., Room 551
Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7936
Phone: 608-266-7855
Fax: 608-267-0441
Email: ron.thompson@dot.state.wi.us
Western Region
Ms. Carol Thurn
(Term expires 8/2008)
North Dakota Department of Transportation
Office of Traffic Safety
608 E. Boulevard Ave.
Bismarck, North Dakota 58505
Phone: 701-328-4354
Fax: 701-328-2435
Email: cthurn@nd.gov
Ms. Michele Calvert
(Term expires 8/2009)
Montana Motorcycle Rider Safety
MSU-Northern
P.O. Box 7751
Havre, Montana 59501
Phone: 406-265-3565
1-800-922- BIKE
1-800-662-6132 ext. 3565
Fax: 406-265-3570
Email: mcalvert@msun.edu
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