A randomized controlled evaluation study of the effects of a one-day advanced rider training course

Abstract

Motorcyclists have a relative high risk of crash involvement. As a consequence there is an on-going search for safety measures to improve road safety for motorcyclists. One popular measure is motorcycle training. Although intuitively sound, there are only few thorough studies on rider training courses and they do not always show a positive safety effect.The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the advanced rider training course ‘Risk’. Through random assignment motorcyclists (N=222) were assigned to an experimental and control condition. At pre- and post-test, participants completed a questionnaire and their riding behaviour was assessed in an on-road ride. Furthermore, a selection of participants took a hazard perception test at post-test. Participants in the experimental condition (n=137) followed the advanced training course ‘Risk’ between pre- and post-test. Results indicated that trained participants were rated higher on safe riding than the control group. A positive effect was also found for riding behaviour, i.e., speed and position on the road if it needed to be adapted to increase visibility and in reaction to potential hazard. The training did not affect riders’ assessment of their own riding behaviour. Overall the trained riders performed better on the hazard perception test.This study is a step forward to demonstrate that motorcyclists’ traffic behaviour can be positively influenced by the right training course. Crucial for this training course is that it did not lead to overconfidence, while it quantifiably improved traffic behaviour.