Cycle Rider Safety Training Program

ILLINOIS

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS PROGRAM AREA(S)
  Innovative or non-traditional approach   Motorcycle Safety
  Targets hard-to-reach/at risk population  
       
TYPE OF JURISDICTION    
  State    
       
TARGETED POPULATION(S) JURISDICTION SIZE
  Motorcycle Riders   12,000,000


PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
In 1976, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) found that motorcycle ridership was increasing, as were the number of crashes and fatalities involving motorcycles. Research indicated that motorcycle riders involved in crashes were essentially without training; 92 percent were self-taught or learned from family or friends. Formal motorcycle rider training was found to reduce both crash involvement and the severity of injuries in the event of a crash.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Cycle Rider Safety Training Program was developed to reduce the incidence of motorcycle crashes in Illinois. Specific objectives in reaching this goal included:

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
For more than two decades, IDOT's Cycle Rider Safety Training Program has functioned as a national model for motorcycle safety programs. Specific activities have included:

RESULTS
From 1976 to 1996, the Cycle Rider Safety Training Program has trained 136,800 MRC and ERC students. Up to 1,500 students per year are on waiting lists due to class size restrictions. From 1976 to 1995, crashes involving motorcycle riders declined more than 45 percent (from 6,625 in 1976 to 2,963 in 1995), and fatalities declined 57 percent (from 178 in 1976 to 101 in 1995).

FUNDING
  State (annually):

$50,000

CONTACT  
  Larry F. Wort
Illinois Department of Transportation
Division of Traffic Safety
3215 Executive Park Drive
Springfield, IL 62794-9245
(217) 785-1181


National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Spring 1997