In order to provide for safer preparation of motorcycle police officers for the start of the motorcycling season the police bought two simulators to be used in safe riding training. One is being used by the Police Academy and the other shall be used among police directorates.
On today's press conference that took place at the Traffic Police station in Ljubljana, Jože Šmid from the Traffic Police sector at the Uniformed Police Directorate of the General Police Directorate, Brane Legan the riding instructor at the Police Academy and Janez Gradin the Commander of the Traffic Police station in Ljubljana presented the simulator for safe motorcycle riding training HONDA Riding Trainer RT1 to the media representatives present.
From left to right: Brane Legan, Jože Šmid and Janez Gradin
The police is carrying out police officer training at the start of every motorcycling season by giving tests of high-performance riding as well as long-distance riding using the motorcycle. Using the riding simulator the police officers performing their work on motorcycles may from now on train at their optimum, actively, professionally and safe.
Motorcycle riding simulation
The trainer for safe motorcycle riding, that is, the HONDA Riding Trainer RT1 is intended for training of motorcyclists having different riding experience and requirements.
From 2006 on, when it was introduced to the public it has received extraordinary marks for its role in training of the future and also of the skilled motorcyclists all over the world. This is the reason why it is slowly entering regular educational motorcyclists training programmes, that is, both the amateur (driving schools, national automobile associations) as well as professionals (the police, civil services employing motorcyclists).
The police bought two riding simulators last November.The price per unit is EUR 2500 (VAT excluded).
The instructor plays an important role in training.
By using the riding simulator you can achieve expected results if a professionally qualified person - an instructor - cooperates with the "motorcyclists". His or her role in this kind of training is to give to the motorcyclists - users of the simulator - the correct instructions for use. And in the continuation he or she also controls the work, gives counsel, gives instructions, warns and affects the individual's change in behaviour when riding, which is the basic purpose of such training.
During training the opinion is generated that riding by using it soon becomes predictable due to repetitive and same situations that occur. But this very element, that is, the predictability is the one that changes the way of thinking and hence the user's behaviour in traffic unobtrusively and effectively. The programme consists of situations occurring in road traffic, as the most frequent causes of accidents involving motorcycles, resulting in worst consequences. Further it is the result of a thorough professional research done on 60 road accidents in five European countries.
HONDA Riding Trainer RT1 for safe motorcycle riding
The programme together with all the specified options enables a professional and most of all safe training for motorcycle police officers and is extremely effective as an addition to the already existing Compulsory basic training for safe riding and training with motorcycles intended for police officers.
Road safety - statistics
In the year 2006 there were 25,772 motorcycles and 34,140 mopeds registered in Slovenia. In the last year the number of registered motorcycles increased for nearly 7000 vehicles (to 31,692 motorcycles), and the number of mopeds for more than 2000 vehicles (to 36,550). Regardless of the fact that the number of motorcyclists involved in traffic increased so much, there were two deaths less recorded among the motorcyclists that died on the Slovene roads than the year before in 2006.
According to provisional data all together 40 motorcyclists and 3 pilot riders died, as well as 13 moped riders in 1790 road accidents in which motorcyclists and moped riders were involved. Even more tragic was the state in 2006 when all together 42 motorcyclists and 5 pilot drivers as well as 12 moped riders died in 1707 road accidents.
Most frequent causes for worst-scenario road accidents were: inappropriate speed, wrong direction and driving on the wrong side of the road, incorrect passing of cars and not considering the right of way rules. In approximately 60% of cases the motorcyclists and moped riders were perpetrators and in 40% participants of the road accidents.
Police officers were involved in 19 road accidents in the year 2007 riding police motorcycles. To this number we included also road accidents where police officers from Traffic Police stations and other police force units where motorcycles are used. There were no casualties in road accidents in which police officers were involved riding police motorcycles.