About

The Motorcycle Rider Program is a program that is funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Traffic Safety, Springfield, Illinois and supported by Public Act 82-649, the Cycle Rider Safety Training Act. This Act works by taking a portion of the money motorcyclist pay when they register their motorcycles and funds training throughout the state. That means that the program is funded by its users. As a result, all of the courses that we offer are free of charge to all Illinois residents. In order to reserve a spot in the class however, we do require a $20 deposit which is refundable upon completion of the class.

Our regional center is located on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and we operate 12 off campus training sites throughout 52 counties in Southern Illinois. Our courses start in March and run until early November each year.

Our aim is to expose the general public to safe riding habits, and also, to be more safety conscious while operating a motor vehicle. We utilize a curriculum that was developed by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation that is also used across the country and even in other countries. All of our instructors are active and experienced motorcyclists who have been through an 80 hour training course here at SIU to learn teaching methods and the specifics of the curriculum.

If you have additional questions or comments please email us at ridered@siu.edu or call us at (618) 453-2877.