State Launches Driver Education Resources to Improve Safety For Bicyclists

11:28AM / Saturday, August 15, 2026Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) today announced a new set of driver education classroom resources that will help prepare future drivers to safely share the road with people bicycling.

Developed in partnership with MassBike and LivableStreets Alliance and supported by federal funding from the National Safety Council, the new resources give driver education instructors practical, up-to-date tools for teaching safe driving behaviors around bicyclists. The materials focus on key safety topics, including Massachusetts' four-foot passing law, safe turning at intersections and checking before opening a vehicle door to help prevent "dooring" crashes.

"Every new driver should graduate from driver education knowing how to safely share the road with people who bike," said Galen Mook, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition. "These resources are designed to catch the attention of new drivers, and give instructors practical tools to build awareness, reduce conflicts, and help create safer streets for everyone."

Bicycling continues to grow as both a popular form of transportation and recreation throughout Massachusetts, making it increasingly important that new drivers understand how to safely interact with people riding bicycles. The driver’s education module covers essential topics such as recognizing bicyclists' rights and responsibilities, yielding appropriately, navigating intersections, anticipating common riding behaviors and preventing common crashes.

The classroom resources include instructional videos, presentation slides, lesson plans, discussion prompts and one-page reference materials that can be easily incorporated into existing driver education courses. The module aligns with current Massachusetts traffic laws and nationally recognized roadway safety best practices.

The resources emphasize that roadway safety is a shared responsibility. By helping new drivers better understand the perspective and behavior of bicyclists, the program aims to reduce crashes, improve predictability, and encourage respectful interactions between all road users.

The resources are available at no cost to driver education instructors, schools, and training programs throughout Massachusetts.

For more information or to access the classroom materials, visit www.massbike.org.

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Berkshire Museum Explores Ancient Egypt With ‘Soulful Creatures’

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
11:33AM / Friday, October 09, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Following its multimillion-dollar renovation, the Berkshire Museum is welcoming an exhibition unlike any it has been able to host before.

Marking the museum's first major exhibition since its renovation, "Soulful Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt," opening Saturday, Oct. 10, thins the veil between the ever-evolving history of Egyptian culture and society and modern day people.

"The most important thing about history is recognizing people from the past as actual people. Ancient Egyptians are no different than us," said William Dore, the museum's chief curator. "They have different cultures and beliefs and different viewpoints, but you can say the same thing about people today."

When audiences experience the exhibit, they will see the humanity in the people of the past, which in turn helps them connect with different views and perspectives around the world today, he said.

Combining archeology with modern scientific imaging, Brooklyn (N.Y.) Museum curators Yekaterina Barbash and Edward Bleiberg designed an exhibit that works to uncover the mysteries behind these objects and the beliefs and rituals that surround them.

"I think something that people kind of misunderstand about history is none of it's ever settled. ... History is a science that is constantly questioned,” Dore said. "It only works if everyone's constantly rethinking things, learning new things ... which is for me super exciting because as much as we know a lot about the ancient Egyptians, there's a lot we don't know.”

The installation features dozens of artifacts on loan from the Brooklyn Museum that explores the practice of animal mummification and the role animals played in ancient Egyptian religion.

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