AUGUST 22, 2011

Secretary Johnson encourages motorcyclists to never stop learning

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson said today that motorcyclists in southeast Michigan have a great opportunity to sharpen their skills at an Advanced Rider Course (ARC) being offered at Schoolcraft College during September.

The one-day course will be held Sept. 11, 18 and 25 at Schoolcraft's Public Safety Training Center, 31777 Industrial Road, Livonia. The cost is $25 and riders must provide their own motorcycles. The September sessions are the last ones offered this season.

"This course is tailor-made for experienced riders," said Johnson, who has ridden since her youth. "There's always something new you can learn even if you've been riding for years."

The course offers classroom instruction as well as range practice. Riders will participate in exercises to improve perception and hazard awareness, enhance basic skills, learn crash avoidance techniques, and refine braking and cornering maneuvers.

Classes are held rain or shine. Participants are required to have a motorcycle endorsement on their driver's license and wear the proper gear. Motorcycles must be properly titled and registered and pass a safety inspection before they can be used in the class.

Vince Consiglio, Detroit Metro Motorcycle Safety Consortium coordinator and RiderCoach, teaches at the Schoolcraft and Macomb motorcycle safety programs. Consiglio, who has ridden for more than 40 years and logged more than 900,000 miles, has a real passion for teaching others about safe motorcycling.

"The ARC is designed for experienced riders to advance their riding skills using their own bikes," said Consiglio. "It's a one day course that covers both the mental and physical aspects of riding. We are also working on an incentive program with some local motorcycle dealerships for riders who complete an ARC course."

About 300 students have completed the ARC this summer. The ARC is funded by a U.S. Department of Transportation grant administered through the Michigan Department of State and the Office of Highway Safety Planning.

The Detroit Metro Motorcycle Safety Consortium is a coalition of area colleges that offer hands-on, comprehensive motorcycle safety training locally. More than 46,000 students have taken a motorcycle safety course since the Consortium began offering classes in 1999.

For more information about the ARC, call the Schoolcraft Motorcycle Safety Program at (734) 462-4448 or visit www.schoolcraft.edu/cepd/motorcycle.

The Department of State administers the Michigan Motorcycle Safety Program. The department oversees a statewide network of the private and public entities that offer motorcycle safety courses and is responsible for the training and certification of motorcycle instructors and trainers.

For more information about the Motorcycle Safety Program and other Secretary of State services, visit (www.Michigan.gov/sos). The official SOS Twitter feed is available at (www.twitter.com/Michsos) and Facebook updates are posted at (www.facebook.com/Michigansos).

Customers also may call the Department of State Information Center to speak to a customer-service representative at (888) SOS-MICH (767-6424).

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For media questions, please call Tracy Ward at (517) 373-2520.