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| The Pennsylvania State Motorcycle Safety Course |
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From beginners to riding pros, it never hurts to learn new skills or brush up on what you learned long ago. No matter your skill level, the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program may be what you need.
Administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation through a contract with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, PMSP teaches riders basic fundamentals needed to safely operate a motorcycle and reduce the risk of otherwise avoidable crashes. The program offers two types of motorcycle knowledge and skills training—the Basic Rider Course and the Experienced Rider Course.
The two courses are free to all Pennsylvania Class M (motorcycle) permit or Class M license holders. An individual must have a valid Class M permit or Class M license in order to enroll in a MSP course. Courses are offered March through October at seventy sites across the state, although some locations only offer only one of the courses.
The Basic Rider Course, geared toward novice riders, provides an introduction to the fundamentals of safe and responsible operation of a motorcycle and consists of fifteen hours of classroom and riding instruction—five hours of in-class instruction and ten hours of practical riding experience on a riding range under the watchful eyes of certified rider coaches, says Michael Fleck, site coordinator and rider coach for PAMSP Site 61, Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology, Pleasant Gap. Motorcycles and helmets are available to students taking the course. Upon successful completion of the course, which includes passing knowledge and skills tests, students with a motorcycle permit will be issued a motorcycle license.
The Experienced Rider Course, a six-hour course geared toward those with prior riding experience, is ideal for graduates of the Basic Rider Course or riders who want to brush up on safety knowledge and riding skills on a riding range, Fleck says. Students in the course already have a working knowledge of basic street-riding skills, such as starting, stopping, and straight-line riding and turning. Upon successful completion of the course, which includes a skills test, students with a motorcycle permit will be issued a motorcycle license just like with the Basic Rider Course.
“There are many benefits for a rider who takes advantage of refresher education and training opportunities,” Fleck says. “These include fine-tuning basic skills, reinforcing good riding habits, developing more refined skills, improving mental strategies to reduce risk, and renewing a commitment to safe, responsible riding practices. Pennsylvania crash statistics show that inexperienced riders suffer more severe injuries than experienced riders. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation courses not only develop critical physical skills, but also provide key mental strategies related to hazard perception and recognition. An aware motorcyclist realizes that skills are perishable and must be continually practiced, especially those related to collision avoidance maneuvers.”
For more information, visit www.pamsp.com or call 1-800-845-9533 from 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday.
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