Garda Bikesafe

7ofBrian

Doin the course tomorrow at Dublin castle. Anyone know whats involved?

Idleater

You get a talk beforehand about road safety etc. followed by a brief talk about what the general idea behind it is.

When you go out and meet your Garda, he or she will outline to you what they expect you to do, what not to do, and what the general route will be as well as a couple of checks and questions about the bike and biking.

Then off you go, with them following you. I think they do it with you having to look at their indicators rather than over the radio, but they basically let you dictate the pace. They'll get a feel for your ability and won't put you under more pressure than you can handle so just relax and enjoy it.

When you get back they'll debrief you.

Last time I did it, on the way back in town, we came across an accident that had just happened so we pulled over as he began doing Garda things. I said I'd head on, he said to go back to the castle and he'd be along when one of the lesser squad cars made it to the scene . All the others that finished in the meantime while I was waiting were asking what the story was, I said I'd gone so quick I'd lost my garda

So there you go, it's a bit of fun, with a serious side. You'll definitely learn something from it, and the fact that you are even doing it is good.

let us know how you get on.

7ofBrian

should be interesting anyway.

maameeo

oh good luck brian!
my friend did it, thought it was great!

jameshayes

doing it tomorrow myself brian, see you there

dceire

Does it cost anything to do the course?

honeybadger

tis free to do but you need to hold a full liscence and dosent matter how long you hold a full liscence as long as its a full liscence ,,well worth doing if ya have the chance to do so

reece

To filter or not to filter? ..that is the question :-). Assume they dont want you riding in bus lanes either.

reece

reece wrote: »

To filter or not to filter? ..that is the question :-). Assume they dont want you riding in bus lanes either.

I did the bike safe here in Cork about a month ago, I asked the Garda about filtering and he said if it's safe to do it then no problem.

7ofBrian

That was REALLY worthwhile! I recommend everyone do this course.

oleras

7ofBrian wrote: »

That was REALLY worthwhile! I recommend everyone do this course.

Stick up a small trip report.

What was involved, what did you take from it etc.

martybike

I did it as well last Saturday and have to say it was well worth doing.

The course was exactly as Idleater described. My garda also had to do a bit of work along the way, but it was early on and he told me to hang on (it only took him a minute).

The route we went on was from Dublin Castle to Lucan on the N4, over to Clonee and back into to town on the N3. It feels strange having a cop bike sitting in your mirrors at first. You try to ride like you're doing your test. After a while you relax and ride more naturally. No matter how you do on the ride the feedback you get from the one to one observation is priceless.

The classroom stuff was really interesting and thought provoking. Some of the stats you hear at the start are really shocking.

It's not intended to be the 'be all and end all' of bike training. They encourage you to get further training, which I'm certainly going to do so.

peckerhead

I sent off for details and got this back (doesn't appear to be online anywhere, so I presume it's OK to post?)

A BIKESAFE ASSESSMENT CONSISTS OF:

An informal ride out on the public road accompanied by a Garda Advanced Motorcyclist on a one to one basis during which time your riding will be assessed under the following 8 categories - Machine/Legal knowledge, Low Speed Control, Hazard awareness, Junctions, Overtaking,Positioning and Security.

The assessment is not a test or training, merely an assessment of your riding capabilities at this time.

Feedback from the assessment should be used positively as part of your rider development, highlighting areas where professional training from an approved instructor/school will enhance your safety and enjoyment.

Each category will be marked on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being the lowest score and 5 for excellent understanding and practical demonstration.
To qualify for a BikeSafe certificate, a rider must achieve an overall points tally of 25, and attain at least 4 points in each category. Any rider scoring 3 or less in any category can be re assessed at a later stage.

MACHINE/LEGAL KNOWLEDGE

Maintenance - Knowledge of weekly and daily checks.
Dangers associated with poor maintenance, especially after a winter break/long lay up.
Carrying Pillion Passengers
Road Traffic Collisions legal responsibilities/Collision scene management.

HAZARD AWARENESS

Defensive Riding Technique, specifically use of appropriate - speed, position, and throttle control.
Early recognition of hazards and appropriate action.
Information gathering and Decision-making, measuring the rider's ability to identify changing traffic conditions and act effectively.

JUNCTIONS

Riders should demonstrate a high level of awareness at junctions, optimising position, speed and gears.
Recognition of the risks associated with overtaking at or on the approach to a junction.
Do not assume that the emerging driver has seen your bike approach, and is going to give way. Be proactive and ride defensively.

CORNERING

Riders should demonstrate good observation and planning on the approach to a corner.
The Position, Speed and Gear of the bike on the approach to a corner must be relevant to other factors such as view, junctions, entrances, road surface condition and traffic flow.
The rider must be able to stop the bike in the distance he can see to be clear.

OVERTAKING

Riders should demonstrate a high degree of planning before attempting to overtake, optimising road position, approach speed, view, correct gear, hazard awareness and rear observation.
The rider should know where an overtake is going to finish, before committing to the manoeuvre.

SECURITY

Demonstrate an understanding of theft avoidance, whether the bike is parked at home or at another location. Awareness of approved security devices and their function.

7ofBrian

yep. thats it to a tee.

spankmaster2000

Sorry folks, maybe someone's already said this, but; how often is this on? Once a month? Every week?

Thanks!!

7ofBrian

Every saturday in dublin castle. Heres the form:

http://www.garda.ie/Documents/User/BikeSafe%20Application%20Form%202010.doc

Fill it out and wait for the call

spankmaster2000

Cheers, thanks!!

(Does it take long until you get an appointment?)

7ofBrian

Ha. yeah! I applied at the bike show in the RDS (i think it was january?)
Just fill it in, send it off and forget about it. I got a cancellation.
In saying that though, there was a guy there who only applied 2 weeks before. I guess it luck of the draw! :pac:

galwaytt

it should be a shorter wait these days, as they're running it out of Galway now as well.

turbodiesel

7ofBrian wrote: »

Every saturday in dublin castle. Heres the form:

http://www.garda.ie/Documents/User/BikeSafe%20Application%20Form%202010.doc

Fill it out and wait for the call

Just passed my bikesafe assesment this morning. Happy bunny.

I did it back about 18 months ago but failed for undertaking coming back in by palmerstown on a practically empty N4.

Guards say the backlog is cleared and there is practically no waiting time if anyone is interested, so apply pronto before they are closed for the winter......

Canaboid

I applied via email on Monday and got the call to attend tomorrow. So no waiting list at present.

Green_Martian

Might look into this, do they care if your reg plate is not the legal size??? I would assume they do just don't want to turn up with the small plate on and be turned away, have the old one in the house somewhere:D

jameshayes

Green_Martian wrote: »

Might look into this, do they care if your reg plate is not the legal size??? I would assume they do just don't want to turn up with the small plate on and be turned away, have the old one in the house somewhere:D

na - i have a small one and an OBNOXIOUSLY loud can and nothing said