May is Motorcycle Safety Month Riders Urged to Get Trained and Ride Safe (17-073)

Improving Motorcycle Safety Aim of San Francisco Police Department & San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), Department of Public Health, and San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) are joining law enforcement statewide and across the United States in the National Motorcycle safety awareness month. The California Motorcyclist Safety Program is offering special, low cost rider training classes during the month of May. The California Motorcyclist Safety Program (CMSP) training program is offering a “Total Control Refresher Training” course during the month of May. This four-hour riding class is for experienced riders with a current motorcycle license. Riders will use their own street-legal motorcycle during the class taught by CMSP - certified Instructors at a cost of only $95. Log onto the CMSP website (http://cmsp.msi5.com) to register at a location near you. “The Motorcyclist Safety Program is a valuable asset to help riders remain safe on city streets,” said San Francisco Police Chief William Scott. “Road safety is everyone’s responsibility. The SFPD works with the public and our partner agencies to emphasize education and training, which are key tools to help reduce traffic fatalities.” California motorcycle fatalities saw a phenomenal drop of 37 percent from 2008 to 2010, but then rose 31 percent by 2015. Efforts like these are aimed at curbing any more rises in motorcycle deaths and sending the numbers back downward. Over the past two years in San Francisco, motorcycle involved collisions have resulted in 727 injury collisions and 10 fatal collisions. The Total Control Refresher Training program and San Francisco’s Vision Zero Motorcycle Education Campaign support the goal of reducing serious injury collisions and the elimination of traffic-related fatalities. “While people riding motorcycles represent a small amount of our total road users, collisions involving motorcycles represent a disproportionate amount of San Francisco traffic deaths,” said SFMTA Director of Transportation, Ed Reiskin. “SFMTA is proud to add the tools at our disposal to support changes in how we use our streets to eliminate traffic fatalities. This partnership is an example of how the city is working to reach all road-users to encourage the safe operation of all vehicles.” New Riders are urged to get basic training through the California Motorcyclist Safety Program. Information and training locations are available at 1-877-RIDE-411 (1-877-743-3411) or http://www.californiamotorcyclist.com. Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The message to all drivers and motorcyclists is: share in the responsibility and do your part by safely “sharing the road.”