MADISON, Wis. -- This weekend marked the 25th annual State Motorcycle Safety Administrators National Conference and this year's event was held on Saturday at the Concourse Hotel in downtown Madison and had a special mission: increase motorcylce safety.

Speakers at the conference noted that motorcycle safety continues to be a growing challenge. Many cited the fact that during the last five years in Wisconsin, an average of 94 motorcyclists were killed annually in crashes.

Safety concerns rise as motorcycle popularity rises. More than 472,000 Wisconsin residents have motorcycle licenses or permits, and nearly 328,000 motorcycles are registered in the state.

Now, a new educational initiative is aiming to lower the motorcycle fatality rate by by changing the way riders learn.

As instructors at the motorcycle rider courses sponsored by the Wisconsin Motorcycle Safety Program are fond of saying, it's not just learning how to ride, it's learning how to ride safely.

"Riding a motorcycle should be an ongoing learning experience," said Ray Ochs, director of training systems for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.

Madison Area Technical College is currently hosting hundreds of riding coaches from around the country who are learning new safety techniques that they can then teach to their student riders.

"We want to showcase what new courses we're doing and the new exercise we're using to help riders be safer," said Ochs.

"What they're doing is they're getting a flavor for this new curriculum," continued Ochs. "One of the objectives that I have is to bring this new curriculum into Wisconsin as soon as we possibly can."

Greg Patzer, the manager of the Wisconsin Motorcycle Safety Program, hopes training at real-life speeds will make a difference in the state, particularly since there has already been nearly 60 motorcycle fatalities in Wisconsin in 2009.

"There's quite a few incidents where riders were unable to negotiate a curve that probably accounts for close to 25 percent of the fatalities," said Patzer.

Because of the alarming statistics, there's now more of an emphasis to teach riders how to embark on a smoother ride.

"It's got to do with primarily turning and breaking. Those are the two skills that are most often found lacking or poorly developed in experienced riders," said Patzer.

Those two skills are precisely the ones that the professionals hope to correct en route to a smoother and safer ride for all motorcyclists.

Madison Area Technical College's beginner and advanced motorcycle courses will be expanding next year to include safety on scooters and sport bikes.

For more information on motorcycle safety courses offered in Wisconsin, go to the DOT's Web site or MATC's Motorcycle Safety Program page.

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