Madison College: First in the state to offer new street rider motorcycle safety program

Contact: Bill Bessette (608) 246-6127

Summer + higher gas prices = more motorcycles on the road.

Gasoline prices are currently about a dollar higher than last June—and that means more folks will be riding motorcycles this summer to help save money. It also means there will be more riders on the road and possibly more accidents.

Madison Area Technical College is offering a unique new on-the-road safety program to help refresh motorcycle riding skills. It’s called Street Rider.

“We believe we’re the first in the state to offer the Street Rider training program,” says Jessica Dyar, Madison College’s motorcycle safety specialist. “This is a great way for people to sharpen their motorcycle skills and get instant feedback from highly-trained instructors.”

Here’s how the Street Rider program works. Two instructors, one in front of the group and the other in the back, take students on-the-road to check such things as motorcycle lane position, visibility, situational awareness and cornering. Students begin with lower-speed skills tests and move on to more challenging ones that include multiple lanes and highways. Thanks to a communications system in their helmet, instructors are able to give students instant feedback on what they did right and what they did wrong.

For more information about the new Street Rider motorcycle safety course, call Madison College at (608) 246-5257.

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Madison Area Technical College serves approximately 40,000 individuals annually,

providing “real world smart” education through a comprehensive curriculum of

technical, liberal arts and sciences, adult basic education and continuing education,