A public service announcement

Motorcycle, scooter and moped sales are up sharply this spring as drivers look for a way to ease the pain of ever-increasing gas prices.
While that's good news for the motorcycle industry, there is a downside.
It also means more untrained and unskilled riders on the streets and highways.
The best way to learn the skills and strategies of two-wheeled survival is to take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's rider courses. The MSF's RiderCourse for motorcyclists is available nationwide and more than 4.3 million riders have graduated from it. There is also a MSF ScooterSchool program, but it's only available in nine cities so far.
Some state-level MSF programs are already operating at capacity. Indiana's training sites have waiting lists. Other states, like Arkansas, lack adequate state funding.
It's clear that the need for rider education is barely being met and will become even more critical as more and more untrained riders flood the market.
And the sad fact is that an untrained rider is an accident waiting to happen.
If you - or someone you know - are thinking about two-wheeled alternatives to your gas-guzzling car, please go to http://www.msf-usa.org/ find the nearest RiderCourse training site and sign up. The MSF provides the training bikes. It helps if you have a helmet, but they have loaners, so all you have to do is show up.
If you're sticking to four wheels, go to http://www.forcardrivers.com/, the new MSF site with vital information for car drivers on how to look out for motorcyclists.