The Swedish FEMA member SMC has been certified and received the motorcycle manufacturers’ quality label ‘European Motorcycle Training Quality Label‘.

Motorcyclists’ association SMC arranges voluntary training for motorcyclists and is world leading in the field. SMC is the only training organization in the Nordic region which has certified their motorcycle training. SMC School organizes around 300 courses each year with 10,000 participants. It’s about braking and manoeuvring in parking lots, curve technique on go-cart tracks and big road racing tracks and riding on gravel.

Over the years, SMC School has trained their own instructors and resource staff, developed curricula’s and an entire concept which has been translated to English prior to the certification process. Most of this has part been paid by membership and participators fees.

All instructors have been trained on the basis of the common SMC School course concept to provide an equivalent platform for riders across the country. For each course type there are separate guidelines. The entire SMC’s course concept has now been certified.

The motorcycle manufacturers in Europe, ACEM, launched the certification model two years ago in cooperation with the German road safety organization Deutscher Verkherssicherhetsrat, DVR. SMC is so far the only motorcycle training organisation in The Nordics that has been certified and the seventh in the scheme in Europe.

The certification has already given results. Everyone who buys a new motorcycle from BMW, Honda, MV Agusta and Suzuki will receive an SMC School course with the new bike.

Jesper Christensen, general secretary of SMC: “This is a great honour for SMC and our 700 volunteers in the SMC School, producing 120,000 hours training riders. Our members demand training from us to become safer and more risk conscious riders. The courses contribute to increased safety and are an important measure to reaching Vision Zero in Sweden. The quality label means that our participants can feel confident when they participate in courses with SMC School. All courses are offered to SMC members at a self-cost price. SMC invests around €200,000 per year from the common budget in SMC School.”

Jesper continues: “The certification opens new doors for SMC. We have been contacted by motorcycle organizations in Norway, Finland, Iceland, Cyprus, USA and Brazil et cetera, who want to discuss more about our course training and safety concept. Many want to copy the unique courses in SMC School but they need training and coaching from us to get started, We look forward to increase the safety of motorcyclists worldwide.”

Top photograph by Meltrock Photo