Giving Back (Literally!) For the Sake of Safety

As Seen in Thunder Road Magazine

 

I’ve written a few times about my commitment to giving back to the biker community and trying to prevent motorcycle crashes. I do it because it’s the right thing to do, and because I ride… so I get it. I know the feeling of freedom that comes from riding, and I also know the devastation that a crash can cause to the motorcyclist and their family. I became a lawyer so I could help people; giving back to the community and trying to prevent crashes is just another way to do that.

 

Last month, I had a unique opportunity to give back to the biker community by donating one of my own bikes to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) via their SchoolcraftCollege location in Livonia. The MSF is a national not-for-profit organization that promotes motorcycling safety by providing rider training, licensing, and public awareness campaigns. Their mission is “To make motorcycling safer and more enjoyable by ensuring access to lifelong quality education and training for current and prospective riders, and by advocating a safer riding environment.” I know this program and especially this location provide quality training to new motorcyclists, because it’s where I did my Rider Safety Course many years ago.

 

Taking and passing a certified rider safety course is an important component of getting a motorcycle endorsement, which you need to ride legally in Michigan. If you take and pass a certified course, you can skip the Secretary of State Riding Skills Test. The Schoolcraft location in Livonia offers four different Rider Safety classes: Basic Rider, 3-Wheel Basic Rider, Returning Rider Basic Rider, and Advanced Rider.

 

The first three courses are geared towards riders who are unlicensed, including new riders and those who have motorcycling experience but who no longer have a valid CY endorsement and haven’t ridden in a while. In all but the Basic Rider course, students must provide their own properly titled, registered, and plated motorcycle or 3-wheel motorcycle. The 3-Wheel Basic Rider course teaches students the basic turning, shifting, and braking skills they need to safely operate a 3-wheeled motorcycle. In Michigan, if you do your certified rider safety course on a 3-wheeled bike, your CY endorsement only allows you to operate 3-wheeled bikes legally.

 

Unlike the other three, the Advanced Rider course is designed for riders who are experienced and already have a CY endorsement. In the Advanced Rider course, the focus is on enhancing basic skills, crash avoidance, and improving braking and cornering.

 

I learned about the need for student training motorcycles from Debbie Parinello, our firm’s resident paramedic and Accident Scene Management class instructor, who also sits on the Governor’s Motorcycle Safety Advisory Team. She told me that the need for bikes kept coming up at their meetings, and right away I knew I had the perfect bike to help out: my Suzuki TU 250X. I’d barely put any miles on it, and I know it’s a pretty maneuverable and reliable bike. MSF uses the same make and model in their fleet of training bikes, so it was kind of a no-brainer.

 

My team and I had hoped to arrange a special event surrounding the bike donation, so we could highlight the great work that MSF and Schoolcraft are doing as one of the busiest motorcycle safety training centers in the State. However, when we got in touch with Vince Consiglio, Rider Coach and coordinator for the Detroit Metro Motorcycle Safety Consortium, and Kristen Schopieray, Motorcycle Safety Program Manager at Schoolcraft, we found out they needed the bike immediately for their next group of students. So without much fanfare, I headed over to Schoolcraft to meet their team and sign over the bike.

 

 

I always encourage motorcyclists to “get endorsed, get insured, and spread the word” about motorcycle safety and awareness. I hope that supporting MSF and SchoolcraftCollege’s Motorcycle Safety Program will translate into more motorcycle endorsements, more safety-conscious bikers, and fewer crashes in the future.