The “advanced motorcycling course” of the Honda Safety Institute in Barcelona, received the European
Motorcycle Training Quality Label. The award, which recognizes the best post-license training programmes delivered
in Europe, was granted after an onsite visit by safety experts from the German Road Safety Council (DVR), the most
important German NGO active in the field of road safety.
The European Motorcycle Training Quality Label is a voluntary certification scheme launched in 2015 by ACEM, the
European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers and DVR, to help motorcyclists clearly and easily identify high quality
post-license training programmes in Europe. The label is open to a wide range of organisations based in
Europe, including training schools, motorcycle manufacturers and public bodies.
To date, a total of 27 post-license motorcycle training programmes have been certified in Spain, France, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany.The Honda Safety Institute is the latest centre to have received this award. The centre was created in 2009 to provide motorcycle safety training courses and is located in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, close to Barcelona’s
metropolitan area.
The HSI has 20,000 square meters of tracks and facilities, designed exclusively to train motorcycle
users and is the largest facility of its type in Europe. More than 20,000 motorcyclists have been trained at the HSI
since its opening in 2009. In 2017 alone, about 3,000 people were trained by Honda at this facility.
Commenting on the award of the European Motorcycle Training Quality Label, Vito Cicchetti, General Manager of
the Motorcycle Division at Honda Motor Europe declared, “I am delighted that our Safety Training Institute has
been recognized with this important quality label. Motorcycle safety is at the heart of what Honda does and we want
to make sure that people enjoy riding in a safe manner.
We, as managers of motorcycle companies, have an important responsibility for how people use our products”.
According to Antonio Perlot, Secretary General of the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM),
“the motorcycle industry set up the European Motorcycle Training Quality Label, to help motorcyclists identify the
best post-license training options.
It is extremely important that people learn through adequate and professional training, instead of through trial and error. We are convinced that this initiative will make a positive difference for motorcycle users in Europe”. Albert Cavero, Responsible for road safety at Honda Spain, stated: “Riding a motorcycle is much more than simply
handling a machine.
Basic skills are important, no question about that, but motorcycle safety is more than riding
techniques, body positioning, throttle control or braking. That is precisely why at our training centre, we not only
teach motorcyclists about motorcycle riding but also about the importance of defensive riding, that is anticipating
potentially difficult situations and avoiding them”.
Source: ACEM
