Summary of concerns about mixing license testing at the training schools.

Summary of concerns about mixing license testing at the training schools:

1. The on-bike test in the BRC is different than the on-bike test at the DMV. It did not matter that one is easier than the other for the same license, what is problematic is that they are different!

2. It is a conflict of interest for instructors to fail their students, and for administrators to pay for retraining failed students.

The DMV employs impartial civil servants whose pay is independent of the pass rate of motorcyclists attempting the test.

The BRC/Licensing test has a near 100% pass rate. Often people who fail the DMV on-bike test find the BRC/Licensing test easy to pass.

3. In California, the percent of licensed motorcyclists killed in motorcycle crashes was 42% (124 licensed) in 1994, when the alternative on-bike test became available; by 2001 it had climbed to 72% (300 licensed).

The percentage of licensed fatalities for riders 16-20 years old, went from 19% (4) in 1994 to 56% (9) in 2001.

Also during this time, the rate of fatalities per motorcycle registrations climbed. We expect that the more motorcycles registered, the more fatalities, if the rate stayed steady. It did not stay steady but climbed from 24 fatalities per 100,000 registrations in 1994 , to 43 fatalities per 100,000 registrations in 2001!

4. Since passing the on-bike skills test will be used to remove the restrictions of riding passengers at night on freeways it should require at least one intermediate skill.

The skills of quick stops and swerving can be taught to new riders within 9 hours of training, thus cannot be considered intermediate street skills. The skill of low speed stability cannot be taught so quickly since it is a combination skill that requires students to practice.

The highly refined on-bike test at the DMV, including the 'circle' test which requires the combination of the skills of low speed stability, throttle control, clutch control, and countersteering, should be promoted to students and students encouraged to master before the restrictions are removed. In other words, motorcyclists should be encouraged instead of discouraged to develop skills to be able to pass the DMV test.

5. After being certified to ride small (125cc) motorcycles in a parking lot, some graduates would use the argument 'I am CHP certified safe and have an unrestricted license' to persuade parents, and people of influence in their lives, to allow or help them to pursue street riding with large, high-powered motorcycles.

6. In the BRC/licensing course experienced and inexperienced riders are mixed together. If a student could not keep up, they were dismissed publicly. Joe coined the phrase 'The walk of shame', since the student, after dismissal, had to walk dejectedly to their car in front of the class. This is not a proper learning environment for 'guided discovery'.

7. The portion of the motorcycle registration fee (tax) that is used to promote training has the effect of promoting motorcycling, which promotes more registrations, which generates more revenue for those organizations promoting motorcycling through license training. These funds could be used to improve testing facilities and systems at the DMVs.

|Back to: The Story of how the Begin 2 Ride Program was developed.|

|NHTSA Data|
|CA DMV Registrations|

Updated 05.26.08 |Site Map|