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Participating officers showcasing a demonstration of the Operation Ride SMART course Sunday. PHOTO/MING HENRY
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference Sunday at its training driving pad in Harmony to unveil Operation Ride SMART (Safe Motorcycle and Rider Techniques) to promote motorcycle safety, welcome law enforcement participating in a 600-mile ride, and to kick off National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month.
Among the speakers were OSCO Chief Dan Weis and FDOT District Five Safety Administrator Loreen Bobo.
“This course will teach any rider the fundamentals needed to safely operate a motorcycle,” said Weis.“The individuals that are teaching this program are our motor cops. They are professional riders who have trained thousands of hours.”
FDOT and law enforcement conducted the 600-mile ride throughout the state to promote Operation Ride SMART and to encourage motorcycle safety throughout Florida. Osceola County, where the program began, was one of the stops as law enforcement from Jacksonville, Tampa, and Gainesville were all welcomed at the OSCO training grounds.
“I started this class around 2018,” said Jim, graduate of SMART. “I wanted to be a safe rider, I have a wife, a couple of daughters who want to ride on the back and I realized that I could hardly keep it upright. There are a lot of things you learn from this course that made me a safer rider.”
FDOT partnered with law enforcement agencies year-round to create Operation Ride SMART programs designed to equip riders with essential skills for navigating the roads safely. The goal is to help students demonstrate safe motorcycle riding techniques by negotiating commonly found street riding situations in a controlled and skill oriented manner, according to osceolasheriff.org.
“Today’s Operation Ride SMART was six hundred miles, representing each of the lives lost. That number should be zero,” Bobo said. “We ask motorcyclists to take the free training that is offered and we ask drivers to drive safe and look twice, because they might just save a life.”
According to FDOT, they’ve created these programs because Florida is a top destination for motorcycle riding. In the last year, approximately 600 motorcyclists and passengers have died in traffic crashes throughout the state. FDOT and law enforcement agencies are committed to making its roads safe and usable for all road drivers, including motorcyclists.
These free courses are offered in Osceola and Collier county, as well as Tampa, West Palm Beach, Gainesville, and Jacksonville. They are offered once a month on Saturday with registration beginning at 7 a.m. and the course lasting until 2 p.m. More information can be found on www.ridesmart florida.com.
