Avon & Somerset Constabulary's 'Ride To Arrive' Course
from Peter Weeks.
I recently spent a weekend as a guest of the police. But before you think excessive speed was the cause. relax. I went (willingly officer) on the Avon and Somerset Constabulary's Ride to Arrive course. This residential course runs from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon and is the best thing I have done since buying a bike.
The course has two aims.
The first is to advise on general motorcycling skills with the intention of raising road safety awareness, and the second is to improve relations between the police and the public.. The course is given by police motorcycle instructors who really know what riding a motorcycle means. To become a police motorcyclist requires them to pass first all the police car driving courses and then various bike courses. In their jobs they cover thousands of miles a year, in every kind of weather and road conditions. They are the professionals. I found them very approachable and human with lots of good humour. Safer riding is not about being slow and boring. The weekend was about showing how to ride within your limits.
The course is a series of lectures and assessment rides aimed at a safer way of riding. The focus of the course is about learning how to read the information that is available to you on a motorcycle, how to use the information, then how to position the bike to maintain stability and safety. As one person taking the course said: "we all know the grim statistics; this is about improving the odds in our favour". There is plenty of information out there if you look for it that can help improve the odds. The lectures demonstrated the police method of motorcycle control and how to negotiate hazards After lunch on Saturday we went off in groups of 4 (our police rider plus 3 students) The one in front would be followed by the police rider and the other two would follow and observe the police rider. At first we were awkward and slow but once our police rider had given us some advice it began to speed up. Each person rode for about 15 miles on all kinds of roads. At changeover we would discuss with the police rider what improvements to make. Sunday morning we were out again for a longer ride. By the end of the course I was certainly riding safer and faster, looking further ahead, reading the road and positioning the bike for visibility, stability and safety.
For details see http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/bikesafe/bikesafe_main.asp
Thanks to the Avon and Somerset police motorcyclists who run this course. Best £95 I have spent on my motorcycle.
MAC Rider Training
MAC Rider Training is probably the most popular, and the best way to improve your riding skills in the U.K.
Click the logo below to go to the official MAC Rider Training site, or simply read on for a summary of info.
Riding in the Real World There's only one place to really improve your riding skills and that's out on the road. Which is exactly where one of the MAC instructors will be taking you when you sign up for the Motorcycle Appreciation Course. MAC courses are open to all levels of riders, on any make of machine, from scooters to high performance bikes.
* Nationwide coverage by Class One Police Advanced Motorcycle Riders
* Maximum of two riders per course
* A programme tailored to your needs, no matter which area of your riding you want to improve
* A friendly trainer will coach and encourage resulting in an enjoyable and exhilarating experience
* Up to 8 hours of riding and on-road instruction each day
* A radio communication system to keep you in constant contact with your instructor, invaluable for maximum information 'as it happens'
* Corporate courses - if you ride a motorcycle as part of your work
* Discounts on selected insurance and special offers on completion of the course
* Certificate on completion
* Competitive insurance scheme for clients completing a MAC course (see further down page)
MAC currently offers the following courses:
* Theory sessions as a group or individual activity, prior to on-road training
* One to one/two to one driver/rider awareness training
* One to one/two to one driver/rider refresher training
* Minibus training
* Chauffeur training
* Overseas visitors familiarisation training
* 4 x 4 and off-road training
* High value loads transportation/securuty driving
* Trailer/caravan towing and reversing
* Specialist vehicle familiarisation (sports/high power)
* Civic Type R driving experience
* Skid prevention and control
* ABS familiarisation
For latest information and prices: Tel: 01492 534070
Email: post@macridertraining.co.uk
Website: http://www.macridertraining.co.uk
Ride smarter, feel safer, and, above all, enjoy more
Plan
Observe
Anticipate
ENJOY
That's what the award winning Motorcycle Appreciation Course is all about. Helping you to get the most out of biking. Whether you're starting out, returning to biking, or just need to sharpen your skills, MAC has some of the most highly qualified instructors in the world - ready to help you enjoy riding safely in the real world.
Get more out of your bike and more out of yourself.
The excellence of MAC has been recognised by The Motorcycle News and Prince Michael Road Safety Awards - MAC is the only rider/driver training organisation to have won this more than once - and they have now done it for 3 consecutive years.
The way forward for MAC and what it can do for you...
MAC is the largest organisation providing car and bike driver/rider training in the UK. The company currently employs 37 car and bike driving instructors, servicing the needs of fleet, corporate and individual drivers/riders, across the whole of the UK, Eire and some overseas markets The business was established by Honda UK in January 1998, when it launched the Motorcycle Appreciation Course (MAC). This was a two-day riding course, using ex-police Class 1 instructors, to train purchasers of new Honda motorcycles who had returned to biking after a long absence. The success of the courses led to the development of driver training courses for fleet and corporate drivers, using the latest Honda cars. In March 2002, MAC was established as an independant business, and although the organisation retains strong links with Honda, it now has the freedom to expand it's work to a wide variety of vehicles. MAC is the only driver/rider training organisation to employ full-time instructors and has the most rigorous quality assurance systems and instructor standards in the industry. They have a wide range of assessment services and courses on offer. Courses can be delivered at a variety of levels, from the most basic awareness training up to the delivery of NVQ and BTEC driving qualifications. They train either using their own vehicles (currently Hondas), or those of the clients. The main changes to MAC since they have become independant from Honda are as follows:
* They still have a strong alliance with Honda, and are current;y carrying out driver training for customers of the Civic Type R
* They have a Renault minibus for training drivers of such vehicles
* They have joined forces with Yamaha Motors UK, and have launched 'Yamaha Rider Plus' (YRP). This is a new road based riding scheme, which enhances the highly successful Yamaha 'Spirit' rider programme
* They have established an association with BSM Rider Training, and will be the providers of post-test Rider Training to any BSM customers
* They now operate their own insurance service 'MAC Insurance Services', offering competitive rates for those clients who have completed a MAC course. The freephone number for this is 0800 032 1050
So there you have it - all the information you need to become a better rider, and to get the best experience possible from your machine.
