Installation Safety revs several motorcycle changes

By U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii Public Affairs, News ReleaseFebruary 22, 2011

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii - Due a contractual change Dec. 16, 2010, the Army Traffic Safety Training Program is only available to active duty service members.

Among other changes, the program that is in place to help Soldiers understand the risks associated with privately owned vehicles, including cars, trucks, SUVs and motorcycles, is no longer open to family members, civilians and retirees.

"The biggest change affects our motorcycle classes," said Bill Maxwell, safety specialist and program manager, Directorate of Installation Safety. "We will now enroll only active duty Soldiers. Family members, retirees and civilian employees will need to turn to other sources for training."

Motorcycle classes will also need to have a minimum of six students signed up before the class will commence.

"This may require some of our enrolled students to reschedule to another date," Maxwell said.

Classes provide strategies to reduce risk and, in the case of motorcycle classes, provide hands-on skills needed to reduce accidents and improve driving skills, according to Maxwell.

"We're quite proud of our program, and we think we've made a real impact on Soldiers' attitudes when they are on the road," said Sammy Houseberg, director, Installation Safety, DIS. "We have a broad range of classes that nearly all of our Soldiers can benefit from.

"From time to time, Installation Management Command Headquarters will update these classes to reflect current guidance from Department of Defense and U.S. Army Headquarters," Houseberg added.

The last local change involves Remedial Drivers Improvement courses, which will be cancelled pending a study of class alternatives by IMCOM. Soldiers and family members who have a court-mandated or post restriction that require a driver's improvement course will need to enroll in a commercial course off post.

"We still offer several programs for our Soldiers, who are the primary audience for all of these classes," Maxwell said. "All of our classes use an online sign-up tool."

Motorcycle courses

--Basic Rider Course: A two-day class for new riders; seven training motorcycles are available for students who do not have their own motorcyle.

--Experienced Rider Course: A one-day course for riders who have street experience. Course is conducted on rider's own motorcycle.

--Military Sportbike Rider Course: A follow-on, one-day course for sportbike riders, on their own motorcycle.

--Motorcycle Refresher Training: Two hours of skill drills for Soldiers, following a deployment.

--Mentorship training: Held quarterly, a one-day class to prepare a unit's motorcycle mentors.

--Advanced Rider Course ("Train as you Ride"): Held quarterly at various locations. The four hour class covers advanced-rider techniques for cornering and throttle control.

--Local Motorcycle Evaluation: A motorcycle skills test to meet on-post registration requirements. No sign-up needed. Test is held Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:30 p.m.

--POV Course: This intermediate drivers' training is a risk management course for drivers under age 25.

Traffic Safety Training Program

For more information, call the Installation Safety Office at 808-655-6746. Soldiers can sign up for classes at https://airs.lmi.org.

Related Links:

U.S. Army Traffic Safety Training Program Registration System