Twits and tweets for safety

It's a new breed of motorcyclist as professional, with safety instructors being replaced by rider coaches and emphasis on learner-centered, adult learning modalities.

And the Internet.

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation, the nation's big dog in the safety kennel, will use Twitter and the Internet to "spark critical thinking among riders everywhere." Twits following tweets and checking out the MSF website will get to face "Dr. Jim's Question of the Day," sponsored by Dr. James Heideman, MSF’s director of licensing.

The questions will be about motorcycling and safety and not about medical procedures because Dr. Jim is a doctor of  instructional technology with a master’s degree in vocational education. But wait. Don't hate him yet for being a pencil-neck, nebbish dweeb, for Dr. Jim, according to the MSF, has raced with Steve McQueen and Malcolm Smith, owned 13 motorcycles on three continents and currently throws leg over a restored 1972 BSA 650 Thunderbolt and a 2003 100th Anniversary Harley-Davidson Road King.

The man has cred, in other words.

According to the MSF, the Dr. Jim episode will cover topics for beginning and experienced riders and help riders become -- here comes the jargon -- lifelong learners.

“Whether they just want to learn more or are preparing to get their motorcycle license endorsement, the question of the day will encourage riders of all skill levels to think critically about staying safe on a motorcycle,” Heideman said in an MSF release. “The web makes it possible to have the [question and answer] format, which will inform riders in an engaging way."

It's important to be engaged.

"It’s not just a passive lecture," he said, "but while the question of the day is intended to educate, it’s certainly no substitute for the hands-on training available through the MSF’s RiderCourses.”

Heideman joined the MSF in 2006 and directs and manages programs for licensing and certification. He works with state safety administrators, federal government agencies and national organizations to improve rider safety by improving training and standards for license examiners and safety officers.

The MSF is a not-for-profit organization sponsored by BMW, BRP, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Piaggio, Suzuki, Triumph, Victory and Yamaha. The organization's curriculum is used in Virginia's state-sponsored and approved safety programs, including the classes taught at Albemarle High School, the Central Virginia Motorcycle School in Orange and is the basis for the Harley-Davidson Rider's Edge course at Shenandoah Harley-Davidson.