Dakota News Now: New motorcycle training range opens in Sioux Falls

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A new motorcycle training range in Sioux Falls has officially opened, geared towards training riders on safety and making South Dakota’s roads safer.

The new training range is located at the South Dakota Department of Transportation’s Sioux Falls Area office, off the intersection between 60th Street North and Marion Road.

The range is the result of a partnership between the South Dakota Office of Highway Safety and the South Dakota Safety Council.

Brian Christiaansen, the Motorcycle Rider Education director for the South Dakota Safety Council, said South Dakota and motorcycles go hand-in-hand, which means safety also needs to be a top priority.

“South Dakota has a rich history of motorcycling. We have some of the best riding in the country, bar none. We have some of the highest motorcycle ownership rates in any state. And, to be sure, we have the greatest motorcycle instructors in the nation,” Christiaansen said.

The South Dakota Safety Council provides a range of motorcycle training opportunities, including Basic Rider Training, eBasic Rider Training, advanced courses like the Braking and Cornering Clinic, and soon, online options for three-wheel and off-highway vehicles.

“So our goal with the rider education program is to prepare people with the skills necessary to safely navigate the streets and highways. But most importantly, we share a mission with the Office of Highway Safety. We want to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities for motorcyclists on our roadways,” Christiaansen said.

A permanent space for motorcycle safety training has been what state leaders and the South Dakota Safety Council have been searching for for some time.

Department of Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Bob Perry said previously that they’ve had to make do at temporary locations in empty parking lots on the weekends. That’s no longer the case, allowing more programming.

“Previously, they had to search, beg and borrow, and steal locations to provide the training. Southeast Tech was a place, some other parking lots. Basically, parking lots,” Perry said.

The range was officially opened on Thursday by South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden.

Rhoden said his experiences of attending the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally over the years have helped him realize the importance of safety training courses, and this new space will be vital in keeping the state’s roads safe, especially during those weeks in August.

“So many times, the absolute, needless loss of life that I’ve seen, especially during the Rally in my decades of being around the Rally,” Rhoden said.