DUBLIN, Ohio Motorcycle ownership and ridership are on the rise in Ohio, as are motorcycle-related traffic fatalities. Together they demonstrate the growing need for comprehensive rider education and training, and a new Ohio riding school is working to meet that need. The Ohio Department of Transportation reports that Ohio has the third-most motorcycle riders in the nation, and motorcycle sales are growing at about 16 percent annually. Motorcycle registrations have risen by 22 percent in the state over the past five years, and rising gas prices should drive those numbers even higher. According to a USA Today article, motorcycle sales have risen eight percent in the first three months of 2006 alone. Unfortunately, along with the increase in motorcycle riders has come an increase in motorcycle fatalities. In 2005, 177 motorcyclists died in riding accidents in Ohio, a 33 percent increase over the previous year. In 73 percent of those cases, the rider was not wearing a helmet. The combined growth in motorcycle sales and fatalities demonstrate the necessity of quality riding instruction and precipitated the April launch of The Mid-Ohio Motorcycle Riding School, based at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The school offers two Motorcycle Safety Foundation® courses: the Beginning and Experienced Rider Courses take place in a controlled environment with a focus on safety, proper training and skill exercises. Other courses offered include Advanced Cornering and Performance Track Riding. “Awareness and proper training are important for all riders and a solution to reducing these unfortunate injury statistics,” said The Mid-Ohio Motorcycle Riding School Director Steve Bidlack. “About 30,000 Ohioans have a registered motorcycle but do not have the proper license to ride it. We’re offering them and thousands of new riders a convenient and affordable way to learn safely and ride legally.” The Mid-Ohio Motorcycle Riding School offers the most comprehensive variety of motorcycle activities in the United State. All courses include classroom instruction, supervised exercises and individual evaluation with expert rider coaches. “Our goal is to provide motorcycle riders with programs that allow them to learn and/or hone their skills in a safe environment,” said Bidlack. “It is a place where riders can come get licensed, get safer, get smarter and get more out of every ride.” The Mid-Ohio Motorcycle Riding School, which is part of The Mid-Ohio School, also helps alleviate the months-long wait many riders experience to sign up for the state safety courses. “In many states, the waitlist to receive a motorcycle license is long,” Bidlack said. “We’re another option for beginning and re-entry riders in Ohio and the surrounding states to learn properly, get licensed more quickly and start enjoying safe motorcycling sooner.” Enrollment is available through The Mid-Ohio School’s toll-free number (1-877-793-8667) and website (www.midohioschool.com), and programs are affordably priced from $185 to $295. The Mid-Ohio School provides professional driving and riding instruction to drivers and motorcyclists of all skill levels. The school’s 20 programs vary from Defensive Driving, Performance Driving and Racing programs on the automobile side, to Beginning, Experienced, Advanced Cornering and Performance Track Riding programs on the motorcycle side. Students enjoy classroom sessions, skill drills, expert private instruction and lapping on the same track that challenges the world’s top racers. The Mid-Ohio School has graduated more than 19,000 students since 1993. Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, TrueSports, Inc. is a privately held motorsports entertainment enterprise. The company owns and operates Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and The Mid-Ohio School, and promotes a wide variety of motor racing, driver and rider instruction, corporate and family entertainment events throughout the year.