BIKESAFE MD Motorcycle safety assessment program Partnership between
BIKESAFE MD Motorcycle safety assessment program. Partnership between the Maryland Highway Safety Office and The Maryland State Police
WHAT IS BIKESAFE? Bike. Safe is a motorcycle skills assessment program. A FREE one day course, taught and monitored by trained, certified, law enforcement motor officers. Course is designed for all civilian riders, all types of motorcycles, and all skill levels Civilian riders will spend a day learning from, and riding with, full time motor officers (professional riders) Motor officers will assess civilian motorcyclists skills and offer suggestions, as well as model behaviors, to improve rider safety
HISTORY OF BIKESAFE • Sgt Paul Mostyn, London Metropolitan Police Traffic Patrol, full time motor cop • Sgt Mostyn's main job was crash investigation on the London area • In 2002 there were 69 motorcyclists killed and over 4500 with serious injuries in the London area
HISTORY OF BIKESAFE • Sgt Mostyn believed that the advanced training received by motor officers could help civilians and reduce crashes, injuries and deaths on motorcycles. • He approached his command staff with this idea, and asked for their funding and support to try and reduce the injuries and deaths
WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY SAID? • NO Money • NO Manpower
WHAT NOW? • Sgt Mostyn secured private funding for £ 50, 000 • These funds would be used to implement, create and evaluate the program for three years. • In April of 2003 Bike Safe London (BSL) began
BIKESAFE UK BEGINS • In its first three years the BSL program averaged 2600 attendees each year. • The program was evaluated and was found to have been partially responsible for a 25% reduction in casualties in the London area (there were also other factors involved) • BSL became a national program in 2006 with 41 police agencies across the UK involved
BIKESAFE UK TODAY • When Sgt Mostyn retired in 2014 BSL had a £ 1. 5 m budget and a permanent team delivering 3000 +/- experiences a year • BSL runs in Germany with the British military and in the RAF, British Army and Royal Marines • You can find more info about Bike. Safe. UK at https: //bikesafe. co. uk/
BIKESAFE EXPANSION • In 2007 Sgt Mostyn was contacted by Sgt Mark Brown of the North Carolina State Police. Sgt Brown conducted a pilot project with the help of BSL and in 2009 Bike. Safe NC became a Statewide program • Today Bikesafe NC is made up of over 20 police agencies and holds multiple classes every month • Retired Sgt Mark Brown owns and operates Moto. Mark 1, a motorcycle training school in North Carolina. • Mark Brown is the North American coordinator for Bike. Safe • You can learn more at http: //www. bikesafenc. com/ and https: //motomark 1. com/
FURTHER EXPANSION • In 2013 Lt Dave Ennis of the Anne Arundel County Police Department met with Mark Brown and began the process of bringing Bike. Safe to Maryland • Lt Ennis received a grant from the Maryland Highway Safety Office for Bike. Safe. MD for three years. Dave enlisted law enforcement agencies in Maryland, motorcycle dealers and other partners and began to build the program.
FURTHER EXPANSION • Maryland motor officers travelled to North Carolina to be trained as Bike. Safe assessors by Mark Brown at Moto. Mark 1 • Things were looking promising
AND THEN • Lt Dave Ennis Retired! And Bike. Safe MD lost its champion!
FAST FORWARD TO 2017 The Maryland Highway Safety Office named a new motorcycle safety coordinator!
BIKESAFE MD REIMAGINED • In 2018, I began to talk with Dave Ennis, now with NHTSA (He's from the Government and he’s here to help) about Bike. Safe and ways to re implement the program. • We then enlisted the help of First Sargent Brett Canfield, the Commander of the Maryland State Police Motor Unit. • First Sargent Canfield agreed to write a grant to MHSO for Bike. Safemd.
BIKESAFE MD • First Sargent Canfield enlisted 18 motor officers from multiple Maryland law enforcement agencies. • Mark Brown from Moto. Mark 1 brought his team to Maryland in October of 2018 to train these 18 motorcycle assessors
BIKESAFEMD • While these officers were training, the Highway Safety office was designing. • A new logo
BIKESAFEMD • New marketing materials • Posters • Brochures
BIKESAFEMD New website www. bikesafemd. com
BIKESAFEMD • We’ve contracted with Impact Research and their CORE, Crash Center for Research and Education. • They will conduct an independent evaluation of the Bikesafemd program over the next 3 to 5 years and report the results. • We plan to train 18 more motorcycle assessors in the fall of 2019 • We plan to double the size of the program as well as the number of sessions in the next 12 months
BIKESAFEMD • We have assessors • We have marketing materials • We have a website • We have an evaluation plan • We have locations and dates for assessments • We need help and support to spread the word and to market the program
THANK YOU • Questions? Ernie Lehr Motorcycle safety program manager Maryland Highway Safety Office elehr@mdot. Maryland, go v 410 -787 -4174
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