Did fewer motorcycle safety teachers lead to more deaths?
Motorcycle riders face a far greater risk than other roadway travelers, and the motorcycle fatal crash count is rising steadily, reaching 533 in Texas last year. Nearly a third of motorcycle crashes result in death or serious injury, but that’s true for only about 3 percent of car and truck crashes. The reasons for that might seem obvious. For one, motorcycles don’t offer the same protection that cars and trucks do. And because they take up less space on the roads, they’re simply harder to see.
One thing that motorcycles and other vehicles share in common, of course, is that each requires an operator’s license. But according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 30 percent of American motorcyclists involved in a fatal crash in 2019 were driving without a valid motorcycle license. In Texas, that number is more than 50 percent. At the same time, the number of qualified motorcycle safety instructors has fallen sharply.
That’s not to say that the rising number of fatal motorcycle crashes is solely due to the shortage of licensed safety instructors. Alcohol impairment and distractions (like cellphones) are persistent crash causes, and riders in almost half of all crashes weren’t wearing a helmet. We’ve known about those factors for a long time, and we also know that the shortage of safety instructors has been worsening for at least a decade, maybe as much as two decades.
From 2016 to 2022, fatal motorcycle crashes in Texas increased by 15 percent. Fewer than half of those who died had a valid license. The rest, in rider parlance, were “riding dirty” and that unlicensed percentage has grown by close to 30 percent statewide since 2016 and more than 10 percent locally. Over the same period, the number of licensed motorcycle safety instructors in Texas dropped by 42 percent.
Fewer motorcycle safety coaches. More unlicensed riders. More fatal crashes. There’s ample reason to believe there’s a connection.
At the Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) we’re confident that part of the solution is simple: We need more motorcycle safety instructors – at least 200 more, to be specific. Although the solution may be simple, it’s certainly not easy, for a number of reasons.
First, it’s safe to say that no one is getting rich being a motorcycle safety coach. A licensed instructor earns only a few hundred dollars for teaching a class. As independent contractors, they’re lucky if their hotel expenses are covered when travel is involved, and they receive no traditional employment benefits.
Second, becoming an instructor requires lots of time. The typical course requirement consumes several days including on-site course setup and takedown, often in a school location that requires an instructor candidate to travel a long distance. Any absence from a candidate’s day job would require taking vacation time or leave without pay, so the time requirement is a tall hurdle for most people.
And third, it takes a unique person to be an instructor. The candidate must feel a genuine passion for public service in promoting roadway safety. Experience as a licensed rider is essential, as is the ability to teach through example by always wearing a helmet and appropriate safety gear. Instructors must also learn CPR so they can address unforeseen medical emergencies in their student ranks.
Becoming a motorcycle safety instructor is not a job. It’s a calling. Finding more of them is no small task, but we do have a plan.
TDLR has contracted with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute to design and launch an effort to attract more instructors. We have completed an extensive survey of motorcyclists to better understand what might motivate a rider to become a teacher, and what might encourage them to make a long-term commitment to the cause. We’ll use what we’ve learned to design and execute targeted outreach efforts to recruit and retain instructors.
We have also modernized the instruction process by upgrading computer and database resources to facilitate timely record keeping. We’re also working to increase the number of instructor training locations so that interested candidates can more easily find an instructor preparation class that’s convenient for them to attend.
In short, TDLR is doing all that it can to create a smoother and more accessible motorcycle instructor training pathway, in the pursuit of making Texas roadways safer – whether you travel on two wheels or four. This is clearly a very complex problem and we need multiple stakeholders at the table to solve it.
Strawn is a program manager for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.