LANSING — Dan Petterson of Ludington, a motorcycle safety advocate and educator for more than 40 years, was recognized by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commission (GTSAC) for his outstanding involvement in traffic safety during its upcoming Traffic Safety Awards Virtual Ceremony.
"Probably a month or more ago (was when I first learned of the honor)," Petterson said. "I was surprised and honored. The nomination came from two people who I worked really closely with. They're both responsible for motorcycle safety."
Petterson was nominated for the Richard H. Austin Long-Term Service Award for his decades-long work supporting motorcycle safety efforts, education and programs as president and CEO of Skilled Motorcyclist Association Responsible, Trained, and Educated Riders, Inc. (SMARTER), according to a press release from the commission.
"I've been a motorcyclist. I got my first motorcycle in 1963. There's only been a couple of years when I was in college at Michigan State where I didn't own a motorcycle," Petterson said. "I've ridden off-road, I've ridden on-road. I've ridden on the local lakes on the ice. I actually started with motorcycle safety arena in 1985."
Petterson is a retired educator who last worked as as a building principal at Mason County Central.
He continued to train motorcyclists, and eventually started to train other trainers. March 1990 was when he became a chief trainer in safety education. He was one of the go-to instructor trainers for much of the state outside of the metropolitan Detroit area.
Petterson said the award really is a recognition for motorcycles.
Petterson’s efforts in raising awareness about motorcycle safety helped to decrease the number of motorcycle-related crashes in recent years from over 4,000 in 2008 to about 2,800 in 2019. In 1990, Petterson earned not only a doctorate in education but also certification by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) as a chief instructor. He was named the MSF 2003 RiderCoach Trainer of the Year, and, in 2011, was selected as one of five nationally to receive an MSF award for “Extraordinary Contributions to Motorcycle Safety.” In 2014, the Michigan Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association (MDTSEA) chose Petterson as recipient of its Silvermale Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to traffic safety education.
The Richard H. Austin Long-Term Service Award is named for the longest-serving secretary of state in Michigan history (1971-1995). Austin earned a national reputation as an outstanding and effective advocate for traffic safety.
The GTSAC was formed in 2002 to serve as the state’s forum for identifying key traffic safety challenges and developing and implementing plans to address those issues. The commission includes representatives from the departments of State Police, Transportation, Education, State, and
Health & Human Services, as well as the Office of the Governor, the Aging and Adult Services Agency, and the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. There are also three representatives from local government appointed by the governor.
May 28, 2021 at 07:09AM
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