A SAMPLE OF 516 PERSONS WHO HAD TAKEN THE MOTORCYCLE SAFETY FOUNDATION'S MOTORCYCLE RIDER COURSE WITHIN THE PRIOR THREE YEARS AND A CONTROL GROUP WHO HAD NOT TAKEN THE COURSE COMPLETED A QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT THEIR RIDING EXPOSURE, VIOLATIONS AND ACCIDENTS, AS A MEANS OF EVALUATING THE EFFECTS OF THE COURSE. THE MAJOR FINDINGS WERE: (A) WHEN CONTROLLING FOR AGE AND YEARS LICENSED, THOSE WHO TOOK THE COURSE DID NOT HAVE A LOWER ACCIDENT RATE THAN THE CONTROL GROUP; (B) THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES IN THE VIOLATION RATES BETWEEN THE GROUPS; (C) THE COST OF DAMAGE TO THE MOTORCYCLES PER MILLION MILES WAS NOT LESS FOR THOSE WHO TOOK THE COURSE; AND (D) THE ESTIMATED COST OF MEDICAL TREATMENT OF INJURIES PER MILLION MILES WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY LESS FOR THE GROUP WHICH TOOK THE COURSE; BUT (E) THE MEAN COST OF DAMAGE TO THE MOTORCYCLES WAS LESS FOR THOSE WHO TOOK THE COURSE; AND (F) THE MEAN MEDICAL COST PER ACCIDENT WAS LESS AMONG THOSE WHO TOOK THE COURSE THAN THE CONTROL GROUP. THE LATTER MAY BE ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE FINDING THAT (G) THOSE WHO TOOK THE COURSE MADE MORE USE OF PROTECTIVE CLOTHING, SUCH AS HELMETS, THAN THE CONTROL GROUP, AND TO OTHER EXPOSURE FACTORS AFFECTING THE SEVERITY OF THE ACCIDENTS. (Author/publisher).
Abstract