Christodoulos Ioannou

Voluntary training for European riders – a safety culture benefiting all road users

The European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM) and the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) are proud to launch ‘Learn – Ride – Enjoy – Repeat,’ a European-wide campaign designed to encourage novice and experienced riders to take high-quality voluntary motorcycle training.

Voluntary post-license training is a stepping stone toward safer riding, equipping motorcyclists with further knowledge, skills, and experience. Through this initiative, ACEM and FIM aim to inspire European riders to take the next step in their journey by enrolling in certified training programmes, ensuring more riders have access to advanced tools and knowledge to enjoy motorcycling safely and responsibly.

As motorcycling continues to serve as a key mobility and leisure tool for millions across Europe, improving rider safety remains a top priority. Research shows that human factors play a decisive role in motorcycle accidents, reinforcing the need for lifelong learning and continuous training.

The campaign builds on the success of the European Motorcycle Training Quality Label, an initiative promoting high-quality post-license training courses across Europe.

QUOTES:

Antonio Perlot, ACEM Secretary General, said:

“The European Motorcycle Training Quality Label is a key pillar of the motorcycle industry’s safety strategy. Voluntary training provides motorcyclists with the opportunity to further improve their skills, enhance their traffic awareness and develop strategic riding attitudes. ACEM is confident that this campaign will make Europe’s roads safer for riders, contributing significantly towards EU safety targets and building an inclusive road safety culture, benefiting all.”

Jesper Christensen, Director of the Mobility Commission at FIM, said:

“Riding a motorcycle is both convenient and enjoyable, providing a feeling of freedom, however motorcyclists must be aware of potential road risks and recognise the hazards specific to two-wheelers. The FIM is committed to promoting high-quality voluntary training, and we fully count on our European and national partners to amplify the campaign’s reach and impact. This campaign shows once more the importance of the collective industry and riders’ organisation efforts towards safer and sustainable motorcycling.

Note for editors:

European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM): ACEM represents the largest manufacturers of mopeds, motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles (L-category vehicles) to promote constructive dialogue with the European Union institutions.

Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM): Founded in 1904, FIM is the IOC-recognised international governing body of motorcycle sport and the global advocate for motorcycling currently representing riders from 122 countries around the world.

For more information, please visit:
https://roadsafetystrategy.acem.eu/home/the-european-motorcycle-training-quality-label

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Veneta Vassileva – Safety Manager, ACEM
[email protected]

With the arrival of spring, motorcyclists across Flanders are gearing up to hit the roads once again. This time of year, not only marks the return of better riding conditions but also serves as a crucial reminder of the importance of road safety. The Belgian label holder VSV, the Flemish Foundation for Traffic Safety, in collaboration with the Flemish police, the Flemish government, and various partners, organised the eighth edition of the Day of the Motorcyclist on 30 March 2025.

Motorcyclists remain one of the most vulnerable groups in traffic, making skill refreshment and technical checks is essential before embarking on a new riding season. The initiative provided an opportunity for riders to brush up on their skills, ensuring they are fully prepared for the road.

More than 3000 motorcyclists gathered at 17 different locations to take advantage of free safety-focused activities. The event welcomed both novice and experienced riders, offering them the chance to fine-tune their riding techniques under the guidance of professional instructors.

The training sessions covered essential skills such as slalom riding, slow-speed control, sharp turns, and precision stops. Riders also received hands-on tips for improving their agility and control on the road. Additionally, technical inspections ensured that motorcycles were in optimal condition, further promoting safety for all road users.

On the day of the motorcyclist, VSV launched their new campaign, Look 2 times when you see a motorcyclist to raise awareness on the vulnerability of the riders.

The Day of the Motorcyclist has grown into a well-established tradition, reinforcing the importance of continuous training and awareness for motorcyclists. But voluntary training does not stop here, voluntary courses are available all year round. VSV offers the “Ready to Ride” motorcycle training programme, a course that has been recognised for its excellence in training and was awarded the European Motorcycle Training Quality Label in 2019. This programme is currently offered across the Belgian region of Flanders in nine different training centres, reinforcing the commitment to improving rider safety through structured education and hands-on training.

A recent meeting hosted by the Honda Safety Institute and organised by ACEM brought together key stakeholders of the high-quality training initiative in Barcelona to further discussions and finalise real-life tests, strengthening efforts to enhance voluntary motorcycle safety training across Europe.

All 36 schools awarded with the European Motorcycle Training Quality Label, along with leading academic institutions, have joined forces to elevate training standards.

Building upon scientific accident analysis from the Connected Motorcycle Consortium, this initiative introduces an innovative approach that enables training experts and researchers to develop a comprehensive Instructor Handbook for Advanced Voluntary Motorcycle Training.

This project represents a natural evolution of the European Motorcycle Training Quality Label, made possible by the combined expertise of training specialists and academia. Key contributors include the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), Würzburg Institute for Traffic Sciences (WIVW), the Institute for Motorcycle Safety (ifz), Traffic Accident Research at TU Dresden (VUFO), and the Austrian Road Safety Board (KFV).

Significant progress was achieved during the two-day meeting. With the digital component of the handbook nearing completion, working group members focused on testing and refining optimal coaching configurations to ensure that motorcycle riders acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to prevent the most common accident scenarios.

Once finalised, the Instructor Handbook will be offered free of charge to all training schools interested in enhancing the quality of their post-license courses.

After the first day of the workshop, participants were invited to tour around the centre. The Honda Safety Institute was awarded the European Motorcycle Training Quality Label in 2018, reflecting its long-standing dedication to excellence in rider education.

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Veneta Vassileva, Safety Manager, ACEM
[email protected]

Honda Safety Institute (HSI), located in Santa Perpètua close to Barcelona’s metropolitan area, was created in 2009 to provide motorcycle safety training courses. The HSI has 20,000 square meters of tracks and facilities, designed exclusively to train motorcycle users and is the largest facility of its type in Europe. More than 20,000 motorcyclists have been trained at the HSI since its opening.

For more information: https://www.hondainstitutoseguridad.com/en/

A new meeting organised by the KTM Riders Academy (Klaus Schwabe) and ACEM gathered members of the new high quality training initiative to follow-up technical discussions and completion of real-life tests in Austria.

The level system concept was launched in December 2023 with the endorsement of the 36 schools composing the Quality Label initiative while adding new expertise from the academia side. During these months, work has progressed positively, confirming the natural evolution of the Quality Label.

The objective of the working group is to develop a Level System concept – set of cognitive and riding skills necessary to avoid the most frequent powered-two wheelers accident scenarios. The Level System will cluster these skills in groups of increasing abilities, encouraging motorcyclists to continue developing their personal riding curriculum over time. Significant progress was made, and first concrete results are expected by the end of 2024.

After the first day of the workshop, KTM invited the participants to a tour through the KTM Motohall. Showcasing the past, presence, and future of KTM motorcycles. Generating inspiration not only for the second day of the meeting, but for the ongoing shared effort to “Design the Future” of motorcycle safety.

For more information, please visit:
https://motorcycle-training-label.eu
https://roadsafetystrategy.acem.eu/home/the-european-motorcycle-training-quality-label

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Veneta Vassileva, Safety Manager, ACEM
[email protected]

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All 36 schools awarded the European Motorcycle Training Quality Label and academia are joining forces to pave the way to a new high-quality training concept to address the most relevant and frequent powered-two wheelers accident scenarios.

Based on scientific accident analysis, the innovative approach will give training experts and scientists the possibility to develop a set of cognitive and riding skills necessary to avoid these hazardous accident scenarios. The aim is to create a level system that clusters these skills in groups of increasing abilities, encouraging motorcyclists to continue developing their personal riding curriculum over time.

This concept will be offered free of charge to all training schools interested in improving the quality of their post-licence courses. To ensure a larger deployment, it will also be shared with bodies planning to set up voluntary motorcycle safety training programmes in countries currently with limited training options.

The level system concept represents a natural evolution of the European Motorcycle Training Quality Label especially thanks to the united endeavors of training experts and academia, namely:  Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich – LMU, Würzburg Institute for Traffic Sciences – WIVW, Institute for Motorcycle Safety – ifz and Traffic accident research at TU Dresden – VUFO.

The working process will be led by Klaus Schwabe, KTM Riders Academy, the architect of this concept.

The high-quality training concept is expected to be launched by the end of next year.

Commenting on the initiative, ACEM Secretary General, Antonio Perlot, said: “The European Motorcycle Training Quality Label already is an excellent example of how industry players, NGOs, motorcycle trainers and users’ organisations can work together for motorcycle safety. With strong academia involvement we will now take the Label to the next level by providing a self-assessment tool for European riders and a toolbox for motorcycle trainers. The ultimate goal of this initiative is to motivate riders to undergo regular voluntary training and achieve higher level of safety riding performance.”

Dr. Sebastian Will, Würzburg Institute for Traffic Sciences (WIVW) commented: “From the empirical evidence available, it seems like a significant share of crashes involving motorcyclists could be avoided or at least mitigated from PTW-side. Important cognitive skills, such as “reading the road” properly or anticipating other traffic participants’ behavior alongside necessary motor skills will optimise rider-motorcycle interaction. Having different stakeholders working towards putting these skills together should be very beneficial for rider safety.”

Jesper Christensen, Director of the Mobility Commission, FIM added: “Modern schools offering advanced safety training are nowadays embracing a stronger approach towards cognitive skills and the understanding that accidents involving riders may start ten seconds before the crash occurs. The development of an improved high-quality training concept using a solid academic approach based on real world data under the umbrella of Quality Label is a warmly welcomed step by FIM.”

The European Motorcycle Training Quality Label is a voluntary certification scheme for post-licence safety training programmes run by the German Road Safety Council, the International Motorcycling Federation and the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers.

The main objective of the European Motorcycle Training Quality Label is to inform motorcyclists across the EU about the best training programmes available in their countries and to increase the number of riders undergoing high-quality voluntary training regularly.

There are currently 36 certified programmes in 11 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, with more motorcycle training centres expected to join in 2024.

In 2019 the European Motorcycle Training Quality Label received the Road Safety Charter Award in the category “Voluntary commitments” from the European Commission.

For more information, please visit:
https://www.motorcycle-training-label.eu
https://www.roadsafetystrategy.acem.eu/home/the-european-motorcycle-training-quality-label

For further information please contact:
Dr. Veneta Vassileva, Safety Manager, ACEM
v.vassileva(at)acem.eu

FIM & ACEM Communications