People are flocking to motorcycle driving schools across the region, and no where is this more evident than Howard County.
The Rider School at Howard Community College is the state’s second largest motorcycle driving school, after a program at Prince George’s County Community College, and is expecting about 1,400 participants this year, which would be 40 percent more than this past year’s total of about 1,000.
All riding school participants take a state-approved, 17-hour basic rider course, which includes seven hours of classroom training and 10 hours of training on the road.
Part of the in-class session includes instruction on the dangers of using alcohol and drugs while driving and the consequences of driving while impaired.
“The bottom line is that your perception is more important in motorcycles,” said Jim Schmidt, school director.
“You just don’t have the protection of an automobile’s seat belts, air bags and a metal cage around you. You have zero opportunities to make mistakes.”
And nothing changes a motorcyclist’s perception more than alcohol and drugs, Schmidt said.
“Even driving at the legal limit [0.08 percent] and even below this is dangerous because of how it affects perception.”
Other area motorcycle riding programs, such as one offered at Anne Arundel Community College, saw 324 participants in the past year, which was slightly down from the 375 enrolled the previous year, said Linda Schulte, spokeswoman for the community college.
“Since there has been so much interest in motorcycle classes statewide and so many classes available, we’ve been seeing constant figures,” she said.
Elements of the training program focus on general responsible driving and defensive techniques, she said.
The popularity of these motorcycle classes is usually attributed to the high gas prices, said Schmidt.
“People are seriously coming in because they want to save money with gas,” he said.
Average motorcycles usually yield about 40 to 60 miles per gallon, he said.
