Try this: Of the 1.2million road fatalities worldwide every year, a massive one third, according to Honda, happen on bikes. Worldwide, motorcycling is the leading cause of death for five-to-29-year-olds. According to their figures, it translates into one motorcycling death every 27 seconds.
Or, how about in the UK? Here, there were 374 rider fatalities last year. Around 65% of those were not (as you might expect) teenagers on 125s but instead older riders on 500cc+ bikes, with those in their 30s the most ‘at risk’ age group. In other words, its bike riders in their 30s on 500c+ bikes – not kids – who are at the most risk.
It’s a subject many of us don’t like to talk about, but these numbers are the reason why Honda has launched a rider training scheme aimed at cutting those grim statistics.
It’s called the Honda Motorcycle Safety Training (HMST) Scheme, has been two years in the making. It replicates similar Honda schemes across Europe, and the globe, and has just been launched in the UK in association with Rapid Training.
And their aims are nothing short of seismic. As a result of this, and other measures, Honda’s goal is to reduce the current fatality rate by a whopping 50% and, furthermore – and even more ambitiously – to reduce it to ZERO by 2050.
According to Honda’s research, the main causes of these fatal accidents are three-fold – environmental (2%, e.g. adverse conditions), vehicular (also 2%, for example a mechanical fault) and ‘human’ (which accounts for a whopping 94% of these accidents and includes things like riding errors).
Accordingly, also, many – if not all – fatal accidents can be avoided. Honda says it’s also working on improving environmental aspects and continues to improve the safety of its machines (via technology such as traction control) but the biggest focus currently is on rider training – hence this new scheme.
“As a leading motorcycle manufacturer we’ve got a responsibility to tackle this head on,” Andy Mineyko, Head of Honda Motorcycles UK, said at HMST’s launch event at Blyton Park in Lincolnshire. “We have to protect our customers, to provide rider training…”
The basics of HMST are as follows: Honda UK has teamed up with Rapid Training as its rider training partner. As a result, all customers now buying a new, ‘big’ (over 125cc) Honda road machine will also get a £250 voucher which can be offset against a Honda/Rapid training course.
Honda and Rapid have also created a new, bespoke, one-day, road-based rider training course which normally is available UK-wide, offers tailored training on a 2:1 rider/instructor ratio and would normally cost £545, meaning it’s effectively been discounted to just £295. The voucher can also be used against most of Rapid other courses.
Rapid Training, in case you didn’t already know, are one of the leading providers of rider coaching. It was formed in 1997 by a group of ex racers who were also police riders, and who realised there was gap in the market for professional rider training. Today there are over 20 Rapid coaches across the UK. They are all trained beyond Police Class 1 and are no mugs on track. What’s more, they get it. They’re hugely personable, knowledgeable and decent chaps, who’ve got industry support from the likes of Dunlop, RST, Arai and GB Racing, as well as Honda.
The launch event for the new HMST scheme was co-hosted by Rapid and its full team of instructors at Blyton Park in Lincolnshire who gave us a taster of what to expect.
Although track riding isn’t part of the bespoke Honda package, it is offered on other Rapid courses and gives instructors a great way to assess and improve riding skills such as positioning, braking, throttle control, gear selection and so on. We did two enjoyable 20-minute sessions, after both of which my instructor gave useful feedback and guidance, particularly on machine control.
Then, after lunch, we headed out onto the road in a 2:1 ratio, and this time focussed more on ‘roadcraft’ – reading the road, assessing potential hazards, interpreting other road users and so on which even I, as a 40+-year motorcycling veteran, found useful and enjoyable. As they say: ‘You’re never too old to learn’!
If I was a relative novice or returnee biker buying a new Honda, I wouldn’t think twice about taking up the new scheme. The fatality figures speak for themselves – it’s not worth the risk. If I had one criticism, then it’s that it’s only a discounted, and not free, scheme. Then it’d be a no-brainer. But even without, £295, when you’re already likely also committed to new gear, insurance, security and more, isn’t that much and certainly not too much to dismiss!
Words: Phil West
Pictures: Jamie Morris
