Hawthorne, California – The Hawthorne Police Department received grant funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to conduct motorcycle safety awareness with free, hands-on rider trainings. The $120,000 grant will pay for a series of free motorcycle safety classes that allows riders to practice braking, turning, steering, entering traffic and other skills that help avoid collisions and improve rider safety on the road.
This training is known as the “Ride to Live” program and emphasizes riding techniques to enhance motorcyclists’ skills in an on-going effort to prevent motorcycle related deaths and injuries. Hawthorne Police Department, in partnership with Torrance and Redondo Beach Police Departments, will use the funding as part of the city’s ongoing commitment to keep our roadways safe and improve the quality of life through both education and hands-on training.
The Hawthorne Police Department’s Ride to Live program is being offered 10 times throughout the year with the first class being held on November 5th, 2022. To register for a free training class, visit www.ridetolive.com.
Activities that the grant will fund include:
• Proper manipulation of clutch and throttle in order to work the “friction zone”
• Emergency braking
• Proper use of head and eyes when turning a motorcycle
• Precision maneuvering
• Counter-steering
• Obstacle / collision avoidance
• Curve negotiation
“This program is intended to share motorcycle training and skills that motorcycle police officers are taught so that the general riding public can experience a safer riding environment and avert their own tragedies,” said Hawthorne Police Chief Michael Ishii.
The Hawthorne Police Department’s Ride to Live Program will run through September 2023.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.