1. Motorcycle Safety Programs in Florida - Working with CUTR
Center for Urban Transportation and Research (CUTR)
Edie Peters
Traffic Safety Specialist
Florida Department of Transportation

2. Have a lot on our plate
Florida is a big state and we have a lot on our plate….motorcycle safety, bicycle safety, pedestrian safety….

3. Motorcycle Riding in Florida
The Sunshine State is one of the most popular tourist locations in the world and has an incredible 1,197 miles of shoreline, palm trees, and beaches touching both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
As of July 2014, we have
600,000+ Registered MC
1.1 M+ Endorsed MC riders
So, motorcycle safety in Florida is a big and challenging issue. FDOT takes it serious. Today, I am going to present how Florida has developed/operated motorcycle safety programs through a partnership with the CUTR.

4. 3 year Average ( )
Florida has more than 400 motorcycle fatalities per year and it represents about 18 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities in the state. In Florida, you can ride 24/7 365 days a year. The state hosts Daytona Bike Week, Leesburg bikefest, Thunder Beach Bike Rally, and Biktobefest.

5. NHTSA Funds
Florida DOT uses several different funds to support its Motorcycle Safety efforts.
402
405f- Training and motorist awareness
405d- Alcohol
I will meet with CUTR before the next year’s concept papers are due to discuss the program changes that might need to be made or additional areas that we need to focus on. Your state must be committed to motorcycle safety and you must have a good working relationship within your department in order to secure adequate funds for your project.

6. Motorcycle Safely Emphasis Areas
Program Management & Evaluation
Operator Licensing
Data & Analysis
Rider Training and Education
Roadway Engineering
Law Enforcement & EMS
Legislation and Regulations
Communications & Outreach
Motorist Responsibility
Rider Responsibility
These are the emphasis areas in the Florida motorcycle program. You can imagine, being able to run a successful motorcycle safety program in Florida, requires different skills and knowledge. Florida built a motorcycle safety coalition in 2008 and it has been housed by the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida.

7. Center for Urban Transportation Research
CUTR is a one-stop shop for motorcycle safety. CUTR is a well-established transportation research institute and has gained significant knowledge and experience on motorcycle safety. Florida is lucky to have CUTR at the University of South Florida. Unlike other research institutes, CUTR also has the capacity to implement and execute programs in an effective and efficient manner.

8. Florida Motorcycle Safety Program
Florida Department of Transportation Safety Office (1.5 M)
[Comprehensive Motorcycle Safety Program Grant] 30%
Florida Motorcycle Safety Coalition
Promotional Items
Motorcycle Safety Event
Data Analysis
Campaign creative testing/development
[Paid Media Grant] 60%
Share the Road Campaign
Ride Smart Paid Media Campaign
Motorcycle Anti-Speeding Campaign
Impaired Motorcyclist PSA Campaign
This shows how motorcycle safety programs are structured in Florida. FDOT office manages the programs. There are three types of grant. First, comprehensive motorcycle grant which is a mother ship. Secondly, paid media grants… in 2013/2014, we ran four different campaigns through various media outlets including sport marketing and bar media. Lastly, we have two grants to monitor and evaluate our progress.
[Evaluation] 10%
Motorcycle Program Evaluation and Data Collection
Observational Survey of Motorcyclist Behaviors

9. Under the Comprehensive Motorcycle Program CUTR’s responsibilities are as follows:
Provides technical and administrative support to the Coalition
Assists Coalition members to complete assignments, as needed
Develops, tests and distributes motorcycle safety messages through the selected media outlets
Plans, selects and staffs various motorcycle safety events
Produces and purchases promotional safety items
Even though CUTR is awarded the grant they do not run the program alone. CUTR and FDOT work very closely together communicating almost daily on program affairs. You cannot just issue the funds and be partially vested. You must be totally vested in the program for it to work. This program takes up the majority of my time but I am still responsible for managing other grants, including the Law enforcement liaison program and a portion of the Ped/Bike program grants.

10. Schedule (subject to change without notice)
November
January
May
August
Thinking
Shopping
/Cooking
Selling
Evaluation
Oct. 1
Sep. 30
Daytona bike Week
Biketoberfest
Leesburg Bikefest
Hog Rally
Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally
Although we discuss and plan during the concept paper stage, we revisit our plan as the grant cycle gets started. So 1st month is “Thinking” FDOT and CUTR reviewed our efforts from previous years and debrief our reports from evaluation grants. Between November and January, is a time that we shop (check out other States efforts) or we develop our prototypes..
Motorcycle Program Evaluation and Data Collection
Motorcycle Safety Coalition Meeting
Observational Survey of Motorcyclist Behaviors

11. Our story goes… “Great, we will start to work on it”
An idea popped into my head (FDOT)
“Sure, we can check it out…”
Call CUTR…
“Hey, how about we do….”
“Seriously?”
CUTR assembly line
FDOT and CUTR work together, almost, on a day-to-day basis…For example, if I got an idea…I call CUTR before I forget….and explain my idea. They say ”great, we will start to work on it…” then it goes through CUTR’s assembly line. During the process, we have almost real-time communication regarding the task and FDOT will have to approve it before it actually get produced or executed. Of course, sometimes (rarely)…CUTR responds… “Seriously?” and it becomes DOA.
Also, this is a two-way process…the process initiated by CUTR. CUTR calls FDOT to talk about an idea…then I say…”Seriously?”….
Data-Driven?
Effective and Efficient?
Development
& Testing
FDOT
Approval
Production
Execution

12.
Let me show some achievements we made this year. We got “11,422” likes in our FB page. If you are not impressed by this number or you have no idea what I am talking about…then sorry….you are pretty behind…social media has been a very convenient and effective media outlet for motorcycle safety as it provides an ability to target motorcyclists.

13. Ride 457

14. Checklist and Quick Reference Guide
We believe enforcement plays an important role in motorcycle safety. We try to help and educate LEO as much as we can…

15. Bike Events
We try to attend most bike events to promote motorcycle safety.

16. Motorcycle Program Evaluation and Data Collection
Conduct comprehensive surveys to measure the effectiveness of the motorcycle safety program's efforts, including (1) Florida Motorcyclist Survey and (2) Florida Rider Training Survey.
Collect, analyze and interpret data and drafts reports for Coalition and progress on the MSSP

17. Observational Survey of Motorcyclist Behaviors
Conduct an observational survey in conjunction with an in-depth study of all available Florida-specific motorcycle data.
Motorcycle Type
Gender
PPE Use
Helmet
High Visibility
We conduct a separate observational survey for motorcyclists …. not as an add-on to the seat belt survey…in this way…we collect much more information. The information is used to measure the progress of motorcycle safety program.

18. Ride Smart
Implement paid media campaigns utilizing various media outlets to educate motorcyclists on the importance of the following:
RIDE SMART
S - Say No to drinking and riding
M - Make yourself more visible to motorists.
A - Always wear your helmet when you ride
R - Ride in control (within legal and personal limits)
T - Train regularly and get endorsed
We started to promote the concept of Ride Smart more actively…

19. New Motorcycle Safety PSA
Ride Smart mp3

20. Conclusion Motorcycle Safety is a challenging issue in Florida.
CUTR has been very instrumental in promoting motorcycle safety because the institute is one of the best players in the league and one-stop shop for motorcycle safety.
But at the end of the day, “Building good work relationships” is the integral part of our joint venture.

21. Any Questions or Comments?
Edie Peters
Traffic Safety Specialist
Florida Department of Transportation