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Bike-Walk Alliance of NH ==
Summary:
NH Drivers Ed Teachers Association Conference, Saturday, March 19, 2005
"Bicycling Awareness" presented
Approximately 100 driver education instructors attended this full-day annual conference. The "bicycling awareness" workshop by Dave Topham and "motorcycling awareness" by Jack Wedemyer were each presented twice in two separate one-hour break-out sessions. Copies of the LAB Motorist Education handout were given to the 48 people attending the two workshops. A high interest level was displayed for both the bicycling and motorcycling components. In addition to printouts of the PowerPoint slides Dave was requested to provide the presentation on media suitable for instructors to show at a later date. Based on many positive comments from the audience and the event organizers, the introduction of "bicycling awarness" into the conference agenda was considered very successful.
Original posting
Thanks to Lou Barker at the NH DOT, contacts made in 2004 have resulted in a new segment being added to the program at the NH Drivers Ed Teachers Education Conference on Saturday, March 19.
Certified driving instructors around the state concentrate on the operation of motor vehicles on our shared roadways, and that is obviously their primary goal. They may include reference to motorcyclists as another road user and the unique hazards and handling pertaining to these vehicles. The fact that bicyclists are lawful operators on the roadways is usually given little to no attention during driver training classes. The subsequent improper actions by motorists when encountering a bicyclist on the roadway, even when he or she is following all the rules of the road, may lead to an accident resulting in serious injury or death to the bicyclist. Better education and attention to driving can easily avoid many accidents.
On March 19, Certified League Cycling Instructor Dave Topham will give a multi-media presentation to the Drivers Ed Teachers attending the confernce at the Sheraton Wayfarer in Bedford, NH. Approximately one-third of all the driving instructors in the state will be attending this conference. Topics such as the proper passing of a bicyclist, estimating speed properly, lane usage, turning at intersections, and line-of-sight issues will be addressed. Between some PowerPoint slides taken last year for the Tri-State Transporation Safety Conference presentation and several videos showing bicyclists and motorists in high-traffic situations, the intent is to make the Drivers Ed Instructors more aware of proper bicycling techniques then have them pass this information along to their students. No one expects the motorist to necessarily become a bicyclist and learn the details about bicycling, but all motorists should know how to properly interact with bicyclists on our shared roadways. What better way to promote this process than to "train the trainers?"
For more information about the conference, please contact the Program Coordinator, Marilyn Costa or Dave Topham, LCI #39.
