about SURVIVAL SKILLS RIDER TRAINING
Survival Skills is a post-test motorcycle rider training school in based in SE England and run by BTEC-qualified advanced instructor Kevin Williams. Survival Skills has been dedicated to coaching riders since 1997.
‘subtract spills… add thrills’
SURVIVAL SKILLS RIDER TRAINING offers:
- PROFESSIONAL ON-ROAD COACHING with an indepently BTEC-qualified advanced rider coach to improve your riding skills – and with better skills comes more enjoyment of riding
- PROFESSIONAL ONLINE COACHING wherever you are in the world with a qualified e-tutor using distance learning techniques
- BETTER BIKING ARTICLES & VIDEOS written by an experienced biking columnist
- WEBINARS & IN-PERSON PRESENTATIONS delivered by an experienced speaker
- MINI RIDE-OUTS from several different start points around the M25 – gentle pace, modest distance… but fun roads
MORE ABOUT MY LIVE MONTHLY ONLINE WEBINARS
Survival Skills is now hosting MONTHLY LIVE ONLINE WEBINARS on a variety of better biking topics. These webinars are broadcast LIVE on the FIRST WEDNESDAY of every month at 8 pm (other activities permitting).
CANT MAKE IT LIVE? Each talk will be available to watch on a catch-up basis for 72 hours to allow you to view it if you can’t make it live or your plans change at the last moment.
SCIENCE OF BEING SEEN (SOBS)
When I was a motorcycle courier in London, I had a very practical interest in avoiding the ‘Sorry Mate I Didn’t See You’ SMIDSY collision. As I became qualified as a CBT and DAS motorcycle trainer, I realised that there was little practical advice offered to novice riders that would help them avoid these crashes. And so as a rider coach, my particular field of interest has been to understand the SMIDSY crash in order to offer some practical collision avoidance strategies that can be shown to work. That’s where the ‘Science Of Being Seen’ (SOBS) presentation came from.
Based on my years of experience and research, SOBS was originally created by myself in 2012 as the third ‘accident prevention’ module for Kent Fire & Rescue Service’s International Award-Winning ‘Biker Down’ course. Over the next few years Biker Down was taken up by most of the UK’s fire and rescue services, as well as by the UK military and other safety organisations, many of whom used a version of SOBS. I personally delivered SOBS to Biker Down audiences in Kent until February 2020 when COVID shut us down. Subsequently, the fire service has commissioned their own in-house film to use for module three, but it remains heavily based on the original Science Of Being Seen.
In order to continue to communicate what I’ve learned, every SECOND month the live webinar will be based on the SEE THE ORIGINAL SOBS TALK, which is updated with the latest research.
The FULL SOBS PRESENTATION will alternate with an IN-DEPTH look at particular issues. Check the EVENTS page to see which talk is scheduled next. The £5 ticket price helps fund the HOSTING COSTS of the www.scienceofbeingseen.org website and supports my ONGOING RESEARCH.
BETTER BIKING WEBINARS
On the ALTERNATE MONTHS when the topic isn’t SOBS, I will deliver an original webinar on a ‘better biking’ topic of broad practical interest. Past talks include ‘Braking the Circle’ – a look at the technique of ‘trail braking’ into corners, and ‘Filtering – what’s legal, what’s illegal and what’s just plain common sense’ – a no-nonsense talk about the techniques of lane-splitting and filtering against oncoming traffic, a practical topic I’ve probably more experience of than most riders.
A new talk will be available to watch every two months. Check the EVENTS page to see which talk is scheduled next. Tickets cost £5.
about SURVIVAL SKILLS WEBINARS & PRESENTATIONS
I’ve been delivering talks and presentations to a huge variety of audiences and on a variety of different topics connected to motorcycles for many years. Most of the presentations have been face-to-face, but most recently I’ve delivered talks online too. I’ve been engaged by both riding clubs and road safety organisations to deliver these presentations in a variety of different formats including:
- leading discussion classes for riders at biking skills days at Castle Combe circuit from 2006 to 2008 and at Brands Hatch circuit from 2014 to 2019
- delivering a module of the original and international award-winning ‘Biker Down’ course for Kent Fire & Rescue Service from 2012 to 2020
- engaging with motorcyclists for the New Zealand Transport Agency as part of the Shiny Side Up roadshow events in New Zealand in 2018, 2019 and 2021
- talking as a keynote speaker for the US-based REVVtalks series of online motorcycle skills webinars in 2020
- speaking on rider safety issues on behalf of RoadSafetyGB in 2021
- offering in-person and online presentations to motorcycle clubs and rider groups
WANT YOUR OWN PERSONAL GROUP PRESENTATION?
For many years I have travelled out to clubs and rider groups around the UK in person to deliver a wide range of talks based on my practical experience of riding, including my work as a motorcycle trainer. My particular field of interest is the ‘Sorry Mate I Didn’t See You’ SMIDSY collision, including SOBS. Of course, COVID made that impossible for many months (hence my recent focus on online presentations) but I have now resumed taking bookings for IN-PERSON TALKS. If you have a date in your diary you’d like to fill (even at short notice) for your own group or club, get in touch.
CLUB AND GROUP PRESENTATIONS – ONLINE
You probably won’t be surprised to discover that since early 2020 I’ve been giving presentations online. What may surprise you is that some riding groups have found the online format actually makes arranging and attending talks easier! As well as the Science Of Being Seen presentation, I have a selection of others available, and I’m always happy to prepare a new presentation on a specific topic. If you have a date in your diary you’d like to fill (even at short notice) for your own group or club, get in touch.
SURVIVAL SKILLS RIDER TRAINING 