ABOUT US
Bicycling Safety Standard of Care Consultant
Career Experience:
Career Experience:
- 28 yrs as Police Officer with Coon Rapids (MN) Police Department (Retired)
- Police Bicycle Patrol Officer 1991 to 2004
- Past President and member of the Board of Directors of the International Police Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA).
- Served on the League of American Bicyclists Board of Directors.
- Served as a member and Chairman of the Minnesota State Bicycle Advisory Board
Education
Education:
- BA degree from Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, MN 1988
- Attended University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus 1973-1974
- AES degree Normandale Community College, Bloomington, MN 1973
Training Experience
Training Experience:
- League of American Bicyclists Effective Cyclist Instructor #183, certified in 1988
- Co-creator of the International Police Mountain Bike Association
(IPMBA) Police Cyclist™ Training Course (1993) – Police Cyclist™ Instructor (PCI) #02.
- Charter IPMBA Instructor-Trainer
- Wrote the lesson plans and curriculum for the IPMBA Police Cyclist™ Course, which has become the standard of police bike patrol training around the world.
- Trained hundreds of bike patrol officers and IPMBA Police and EMS Cyclist Instructors from throughout the United States and internationally from the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Israel, Netherlands, and Canada.
- Training consultant in bicycle and pedestrian issues for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
- Invited presenter on Effective Cycling at Night to the United States Consumer Products Safety Commission (1994)
- Have instructed scores of classes and workshops on Bicycle Safety Education and Bicycle and Pedestrian Enforcement to police officers around the United States.
- Taught specialized workshops in Bicycle Crash Investigation in Dayton, OH (April 2006) Baton Rouge, LA (April 2007), London, England (Sept. 2007), St. Louis/Chesterfield, MO (April 2010), and Richmond, VA (April 2011).
- Twice completed the CyclingSavvy training program, the premier civilian cyclist education program in the United States.
Published Work
Published Work:
Bike Law Article : Understanding Minnesota Bicycle and E-Bike Law – Digital Journal By: Minnesota Police and Peace Officer’s Association (MPPOA) – (CLICK HERE to read the article)
- Contributor to The Complete Guide to Public Safety Cycling, Third Edition, published by IPMBA , and Jones and Bartlett Learning, LLC, an Ascend Learning Company (©2023)
- Co-author and contributor to The Complete Guide to Public Safety Cycling, Second Edition, published by IPMBA and Jones and Bartlett Publishers (©2008)
- Co-author of The Complete Guide to Police Cycling published by the League of American Bicyclists (©1997) and Calibre Press (©1998)
- Author of The Minnesota Peace Officers Guide to Bicycle Traffic Management published by Outdoor Empire Publishing (©1986 & 1997) for the State of Minnesota DPS
- Co-wrote the training manual for the NHI training course- Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety and Accommodation – FHWA publication No. FHWA HI-96-028.
- Co-writer of the law enforcement training video The Law is For All.
Law and Order – The Magazine for Police Management
- Bicycle Law Enforcement-Enforce Laws with Mutual Respect, July 2013, Vol. 61, No. 7
- Why Bike Training For Police?, April 2009, Vol. 57, No. 4
- Tomorrow’s Uniforms Today: Visibility, September 2008, Vol. 56, No. 9
- Enforcing Bicycle Riding Laws, June 2007, Vol. 55, No. 6
- Bicycle Crash Investigation (Part One), March 2006, Vol.54, No. 3
- Bicycle Crash Investigation (Part Two), April 2006, Vol. 54. No. 4
- The Need for High Visibility Apparel, October 2005, Vol. 53, No. 10
- Trends In Bike Patrol, April 2005, Vol. 53, No. 4
- The IPMBA Instructor Course, June 2004, Vol. 52, No. 6
- Bike Patrol Uniforms, May 2003, Vol. 51, No. 5
- The Importance of Comfort, May 2002, Vol. 50, No. 5
- Bike Patrol Training, December 1999, Vol. 47, No. 12
Law Officer Magazine – Tactics / Technology / Training
- Teamwork: 2-Wheel Rapid Response Effective Bike Control for Organized, Mobile Protests, February 2012, Vol. 8, Issue 2
- Up & Rolling – What you must know to start or improve a police bike unit., February 2010, Vol. 6, Issue 2
IPMBA News – The Newsletter of the International Police Mountain Bike Association.
- Things I Have Learned About Cycling: Advice From A Bicycling Consultant, Summer 2017, Vol 26, No.2
- Traffic Cycling as a Primary Skill, Fall 2015, Vol 24, No.3
- What Cyclists Need to Learn About Trucks,Winter 2012, Vol 21, No.1
- Partnership Required? A Matter of Policy , Fall 2010, Vol. 19, No. 4
- Pedal Retention Primer , Fall 2010, Vol. 19, No. 4
- Spotting Drills for Safety, Fall 2010, Vol. 19, No.4
- Sidewalks: Cruising Into The Danger Zone, Fall 2008, Vol. 17, No. 4
- Bicycle Crash Investigation, Part Two , Spring 2007, Vol. 3
- Bicycle Crash Investigation, Part One , Spring 2007, Vol. 3, No. 2
- Emergency Stops – Move Back and Stay Back, Summer 2004, Vol. 13, No. 3
- IPMBA Meets “The Met”, Spring 2003, Vol. 12, No. 2
- The Case of Bicycle Law Enforcement, Spring 2002, Vol. 11, No. 2
- Bike Patrol Training High Liability Activity, Fall 2000, Vol. 9, No. 2
- Plus numerous President Columns and Product Reviews
Campus Safety Magazine – Security * Management * Planning * Technology
- How Bike Patrols Can Improve Campus Safety, Feb 26, 2013 [online edition] & April/May 2013 printed issue, Vol 21, No.2
Minnesota Police Journal – The Official Publication of The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association
- Minnesota’s Bicycle Statutes – Understanding Bicycle-related Statutes for Traffic Enforcement and Crash Investigation, June 2017, Vol. 90, No. 3
The CyclingSavvy Blog – Empowerment for Unlimited Travel (Cyclingsavvy.org)
- Did History & Law Really Intend For Cyclists To Ride Far To The Right? June 20, 2018
References / Recommendations
References / Recommendations:
Kirby Beck is an expert who has outstanding credentials, experience, and savvy in the bike safety area. I worked with him recently and would give him my very highest recommendation .
Michael R. Sieben
Sieben Polk, P.A.
siebenpolklaw.com
I had the privilege of working with Kirby Beck on a catastrophic brain injury case. Our client, Scott Nelson, was severely brain injured while bicycling along a state highway.
Mr. Beck was instrumental in helping us achieve a fair result for our client. As an expert, he is an authority with vast experience in the bicycle safety world. He brought professionalism, expertise and credibility to our efforts on behalf of our severely injured client.
Mr. Beck was also accommodating and supportive of our many, many demands on his time and expertise. I will retain Mr. Beck to help us on any serious bicycle case which we become involved with in the future.
I would also be happy to discuss Mr. Beck further should one wish.
Very Truly Yours,
Fred M. Soucie
Soucie & Bolt:
Personal Injury Lawyers
www.soucielaw.com
Federal Court Case – Rebecca Giblin, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Rachel Giblin v. National Multiple Sclerosis Society
This case resulted when a 15-year old girl was killed while participating in a MS Ride in South Carolina.
“Your analysis and written report were instrumental in helping me to settle a very tough case. Thank you again for the prompt response, and for the sensitivity you showed my clients during this difficult time.”
“If I can give a reference, let me know – – you were great.”
Judson H. Orrick (Attorney for the Plaintiff)
Equels Law Firm
Tallahassee Orlando Miami
www.equelslaw.com
Kirby Beck was extremely helpful to us in understanding the dynamics of a complex bicycle crash where the bicycle collided with a firehose, lost a front wheel, and seriously injured our client. His thoroughness, knowledge, and competence resulted in an equitable settlement for our client. I would not hesitate to recommend him to any lawyer working on any aspect of bicycle litigation
James R Schwebel
Schwebel Goetz and Sieben PA
Minneapolis MN
www.schwebel.com
I have known Kirby for 13 years and have been fortunate to have been taught to be an instructor by him through the International Police Mountain Bike Association. Kirby’s knowledge of bicycle safety is remarkable and is only surpassed by his ability to explain and teach. He has a gift to be able to impart his vast knowledge of cycling to even the novice listener. He excels at teaching both children and adults and also teaching people how to teach. I know of very few people who are as passionate and knowledgeable as Kirby on the subject of bicycle safety. He also the nicest person you could ever meet, which makes working with him a pleasure.
December 5, 2012
Jason D. Schiffer
Chief of Police (Retired) Bethlehem, PA
Now Chief of the Lehigh University Police Department
Although already interested in Police Cycling, it was Kirby, who after attending the UK delivering training and seminars, inspired me to take the concept further. His enthusiasm for the subject matter is only rivaled by his knowledge. It is no hyperbole to say that the UK Police Cycle system was built on Kirby’s foundations. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Kirby.
Charles Irvine
Retired Sergeant from Metropolitan Police London, United Kingdom
I would like to endorse Mr. Kirby Beck in this field of law enforcing cycling. I consider Mr. Beck a mentor in this field, as I have known Mr. Beck since 2001. Mr. Beck was one of my primary instructions when I went through my first IPMBA course in 2001 as well as my second instructors’ course in 2012. I learned a considerable amount from him the first go around in Cincinnati back in the day, as did most of us regarding instructing basic police cyclists. Although you might not have known it at the time, when class started you realized the instructor’s knowledge that he has passed to you, as you thanked him in your head when one of his teaching tricks worked. It was the second time I went through, having already taught well over a hundred officers already, I was amazed at how much I learned in my next go around to help me, coach students, through the course. Not everyone gets two go-arounds through the course but it was quite impressive at how much Mr. Beck has to offer. I have continued to get sage advice from Mr. Beck on a number of topics whether I think they are new or old it is sound advice, insights. Mr. Beck is a true Law Enforcement Cycling Professional, one of the founders of modern-day police cycling, that is a continued resource for the beginner or the experienced as well as just a generally good person. Thank you, Kirby!
James Dyment
Owner of Tiger Mountain Tactical
Sergeant with Seattle Police Department
KIRBY BECK
Kirby Beck Consulting, LLC
Bicycling Safety Expert Services
Kirby Beck Consulting offers a variety of services to the client seeking a competent expert in bicycle and pedestrian related litigation. An Original Consultation includes a comprehensive review of police reports, photos, statements and pertinent documents. A preliminary verbal opinion will be provided based upon the information provided. The Original Consultation report can assist clients in determining whether Kirby can be of continued help in the successful resolution of their important matter. A site visit to the crash scene, or to inspect the vehicles or bicycles involved, can be included with additional travel and other expenses added to the standard Original Consultation fee.
Kirby Beck Consulting does not provide crash reconstruction services. Incidents are examined from the point-of-view of the lawful and established standard of care in bicycling and pedestrian safety while using the various roadways or facilities available to them, together with the unique factors that can and do affect them.
Case Review and Preparation includes ongoing case review, research and preparation for a detailed report and opinion, as well as for deposition and/or trial. This also includes witness interviews (if requested), site surveys and photography, client/attorney meetings, and documentation.
Deposition and Court Proceedings consists of appearances and testimony at depositions, hearings and other court proceedings.
Workshops and public presentations in bicycle and pedestrian related topics for public, corporate or organizational education can be scheduled.
Want to learn more from Bicycling Safety Standard of Care Consultant, Kirby Beck?
With over 38 years of experience, Kirby Beck is the nation’s leading expert on cycling and bike safety. Coauthor of numerous books including The Complete Guide to Public Safety, and the coauthor of the National Highway Institute’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety and Accommodation course, Beck has impeccable credentials in bike safety. As a 28-year law enforcement officer, you can find no one more qualified to consult on legal matters where bicycle and pedestrian safety are at issue, believe me.
Bicycling Safety Standard of Care Consultant
Mr. Beck is able to give expert testimony on proper, safe and legal riding practices; bike & pedestrian laws; common crash types and causes including related human factors; nighttime and conspicuity issues; and common cycling hazards and countermeasures. Attorneys for both plaintiffs and defendants have reported that the knowledge and insight he brought was helpful in the resolution of important and complex civil matters.
Mr. Beck can provide clarity in cases involving cycling-related crashes and fatalities. Police crash reports may be flawed or deficient. Few police officers and troopers are specially trained in bicycle laws or investigating bicycle crashes and some may have an anti-bicycle bias. In several cases around the country Mr. Beck has shown that the conclusions made in police crash reports were either incorrect or incomplete.
Do you need to talk to a Bicycling Safety Standard of Care Consultant?
When you call the number below, you will be connected directly to a true bike safety expert and testimonial witness. Your call will go directly to Mr. Beck, so you can expect an immediate – and confidential – discussion of your situation. We look forward to your call.
Kirby Beck Consulting, LLC
Bicycling Safety Expert Witness
Hours: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Friday
Bicycling Safety Standard of Care Consultant
Kirby Beck
(612) 518-3096
Do you have a question for our Bicycling Safety Standard of Care Consultant?