POLICE MOTORCYCLE TRAINING.

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By Sgt. Andy Norrie

No, this is not an article exploring the differences in polarity of battery terminals or how to improve your rating on your next annual appraisal or evaluation.

This is a question of how we do business, specifically how we train our riders. Once again we call upon the 6 R's of successful training. They are: Relevant, Recent, Repetition, Realism, Review and Responsible. It is incumbent upon all of us to ensure our training is up to standard.

In reviewing some past research into motorcycle training I found some information that caused me to question the current state of police motorcycle training. Have we fallen into a rut? Has our training continued to evolve and advance or are we still teaching the same stuff as fifteen or twenty years ago? Are we being responsible? Is our training relevant and realistic? Are we asking ourselves "Why are we doing it this way and can we do it better?"

My interest was piqued when I found some research on the subject of "Counter-Steering". The objective of the research was to observe and summarize the principal methods of teaching counter-steering as a way to avoid sudden obstacles and to make recommendations to improve them.

The research recommends, ".that the stimulus or signal be negative, that is, that it symbolize something to be avoided rather than to indicate a direction to be followed. It should not be placed on the ground, but rather at a height to be determined."

And how are we taught? Motorcyclists (including police officers) are taught how to counter-steer as one way to avoid an obstacle. Riders are taught counter-steering using an exercise called: "The Evasive Maneuver." The rider travels down a straight path or channel reaching the assigned speed. In front of the rider's direct path is a simulated obstacle. (usually warning tape or small cones). On either side of the obstacle are escape lanes around the obstacle. At a certain cue point the rider is given a visual indication (an arm pointing in one direction or the other) by an instructor who is positioned a substantial distance out in front of the rider's path. The arm signal from the instructor is a positive input. The instructor is telling the student which way to go.

But this type of training is not realistic. We are forgetting a very critical element in the equation. In real life, the rider must first identify the hazard or object in our path (negative input) then predict it's path, decide on an action (evasive maneuver) then find an escape route and execute the counter-steering maneuver by looking to where they want to go (positive input). There is no magic instructor that follows us around out there in the real world and just when we are faced with a real life situation requiring a collision avoidance maneuver, appears in front of us and points us to the proper escape route. Nope, we are forced to go it alone drawing on our training and instincts.

We all know if we look at it, we will hit it. Target fixation. We have all seen it in collision investigations. There isn't another pole or light standard for 300 yards but the car driver or motorcyclist hit one dead on. We know where they were looking. In real life, you will do what you have been trained to do. You will most probably fixate on the negative input, and you will most probably hit it. We are not being responsible to our students if we are not making our training exercises as realistic and relevant as possible. We should give them training that they can utilize in the real world.

So, how do we make "The Evasive" more realistic and relevant; providing a true negative input so our riders are learning a skill that will be an intrinsic and natural reaction when the time comes (and it will) when the life-saving skill is required?

How about this? Envision the same cone pattern set up as is used for "The Evasive" but with the following changes. Instead of the warning tape simulating the obstacle, envision a soft styrofoam tube in its place, think swimming pool noodle suspended about 2½ feet off the ground. At the inside corners of the escape lanes are larger than normal cones, actually they are called traffic barrels often seen on Interstate construction sites. Inside the barrels are small electric motors that control actuating arms like an electric door closer. On the end of the arm is another long piece of styrofoam tube. When one of the electric motors is activated that arm rotates 90 degrees to a closed position. The Instructor is positioned in the same location as before, but holds a switch box he or she uses to activate the left unit or the right unit.

Just like in the current system the rider approaches traveling down the approach lane. This time when the rider passes the cue cones the instructor activates either the left or the right arm. The arm, in its folded back or open position will travel in an arc just like a closing door and will actually close one of the escape lanes creating a simulated barrier. The rider identifies which lane or gate is closing and then looks to the open side and employs counter-steering to swerve to the open escape route. Therefore, creating a negative input, just like in real life. This forces the rider to identify the threat, then identify the escape route, then counter-steer to that lane avoiding the obstruction or obstacle. By repetitiously practicing on this system the riders will be engraining good, realistic and relevant training skills.

The following diagram represents how the Collision Avoidance Training System works:


Here is what it looks like from the rider's perspective on approach:


And here we see it from the Instructor's position. We can see that the rider has passed the cue cones and one arm has been activated. One lane has been closed and the escape lane is open:


What if the rider anticipates and goes the wrong way towards the closed gate, or fixates on the closed gate, or chokes or freezes and does nothing and goes straight ahead? Then the rider will hit a soft impact device in the styrofoam tube causing no damage or injury. But, don't we teach it is better to hit something at 5 mph than at 50 mph? So, if they don't go towards the proper escape route lane the student should be taught to employ threshold braking to scrub off as much speed as possible. Remember to counter-steer or brake or alternatively brake then counter-steer but bad things will come to those who try to do both! One input at a time! Don't over-draw from the traction pie!

As a good practice I have the riders drive through an intentionally closed gate prior to training runs so they can experience an impact from the foam tube. Remember it is a simulated barrier. No need for someone to low-side or do something unexpected because they don't know what to expect. Remember to demonstrate for the students.

Also, remember there are two distinct parts to the Evasive Maneuver. An initial counter-steer around the obstacle or hazard and then a second counter-steer back toward the original lane or path of travel. Statistics show us that many motorcyclists execute the initial swerve or counter-steer and avoid the original obstacle but crash into another object (think oncoming car) or have a single vehicle crash (low side or go off the roadway). Again, let us train for real life making the training as realistic as possible.

Conclusion
It is not enough for us to just say, "That's good enough" or "That's the way we've always done it." This is an inherently risky profession we have chosen. People die doing this job. It is our duty individually, and as a profession to impose a rising standard of quality in what we do, well beyond what is required by the minimum standard. I challenge all of you to do one thing to improve yourself and your profession!

Watch a short video of the Collision Avoidance Training System at work.

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Andy Norrie is a Staff Sergeant with the Toronto Police Service in Toronto, Canada. He has been a member of the Department for the past 25 years and has over 23 years of experience on police motorcycle duty. Andy is an instructor for the Canadian Harley-Davidson Police Motorcycle Training Program. He has attended and participated in various police motorcycle training and competition events since 1991 and is one of the founders of the Great Lakes Police Motorcycle Training Seminar based in and around the province of Ontario, Canada. For more information on the Collision Avoidance Training System or if you wish to contact the author, you can e-mail him at: andy.norrie@rogers.com



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