national conference on future of biking

A National Motorcycle Conference is to be held in Leicestershire on 2 September at which important developments in rider training and CBT, plus safety, are on the agenda.

Organised by AIRSO (Association of Industrial Road Safety Officers), the event is being staged at the Hinckley Island Hotel in Hinckley and will be jointly chaired by MCIA director of motorcycle safety, Karen Cole, along with Gareth Morgan, head of driver and rider training for South Wales Police.

Cole will join Winn to present: Motorcycle Rider Training – The Future.  This will cover information about new standards checks, including risk-based quality assurance and unannounced quality assurance.

The talk will also explain “earned recognition status” for good training schools, and what form this could take.  There will also be a chance to discuss regulatory changes, and trainers will be able to say what changes they would like to see to improve rider safety as well as make suggestions to Winn and Cole about other aspects of rider training development. 

Other speakers include Dr Cris Burgess, a psychologist at Exeter University; Tanya Fosdick, senior analyst with Road Safety Analysis; Robin Derges, chief executive, Peninsula CRP; Glen Dennis, National Bikesafe, Co-ordinator; Sam Manicom, author of motorcycle travel books; and Mark Winn, rider product manager at DVSA.

The DVSA will be making a presentation on the future of the CBT, and there will be expert speakers on “client-centred learning”, which is something the DVSA will be increasingly focused on in its new standards checks.  This means how clients are trained will become as important as what they are taught, which instructors will need to incorporate into their training programmes.

The MCIA is urging all those involved in the training industry to attend.

DVSA registered instructors who have never attended before can apply for one of 30 assisted places, subsidised by the MCIA at £25 each. Call 01903 506095 to find out more.

The National Motorcycle Conference is for all those who have an interest and practical involvement in education, training and the development of initiatives to make motorcycling a safer mode of transport and to further the aim of reducing road casualties among motorcyclists.