Four decades of safe instruction netted Tucson’s Pima Community College an award from the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) in recognition of its Motorcycle Rider Training program.

ASSE acknowledged PCC’s contribution to community safety with the Community Safety Leadership Award, according to a press release. The college has provided in-classroom and hands-on instruction since 1977, with its content approved by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.

“Year after year, NHTSA statistics show untrained motorcycle riders are overrepresented in crashes and fatalities,” Robert Gladden, vice president of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, said in the release. “Pima’s dedicated team of professionals have likely saved hundreds of lives over these last four decades.”

Training available includes three course levels — beginning, intermediate and advanced — each introducing increasingly advanced skills. All Motorcycle Rider Safety courses are taught in a safe, off-street location. PCC Chancellor Lee Lambert said in the release that the school is “greatly honored.”

Missy Blair, Pima’s Motorcycle Rider Training program manager, echoed Lambert's sentiments.

“We appreciate the ASSE Community Safety Award,” Blair said. “We have a dedicated team of RiderCoaches who are passionate about giving people the foundation they need to become safer riders and are thankful for scholarships available through the Arizona Motorcycle Safety and Awareness Foundation to help Arizona residents afford training.”