August 2014 Safety First: States Mandating Testing Before Licensing Do You Live In The Best City To Be A Motorcyclist? Photo Katy Weaver
Training, Not Testing, Trending Six States Move To Mandatory Safety Courses For New Riders By Jim Witters A t the end of 2014, six states will require motorcycle safety training for all riders seeking the first motorcycle endorsement on their driver s licenses. Five of those states Connecticut, Florida, Maine, Rhode Island and Texas already require safety training for newly licensed riders of all ages. In Oregon, the training requirement is being phased in. New riders 61 or older are exempt until Jan. 1, 2015. After that, all riders seeking motorcycle endorsements must successfully complete the training course, and the state Department of Motor Vehicles will no longer conduct motorcycle rider testing. Attempts to enact mandatory training failed in Missouri three times since 2011. The philosophy behind the mandates is simple: trained riders should be safer riders on the roadways. The motorcycle safety class gives riders hands-on experience, valuable knowledge, and skills that if used will increase the operator s ability to safely operate a motorcycle, especially for new riders, says Tom Vinger, press secretary for the Texas Department of Public Safety. Bryan D. Lucier, spokesman for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, adds: The training is a chance for new riders to learn best practices from trainers with years of Connecticut Rider Education Program experience on the road. It brings specific motorcycle safety issues to the forefront and gives riders the skills they need to ride responsibly. Joe Laurance, state coordinator for ABATE of Oregon, offers: The goal of mandatory training is nothing more or less than saving motorcyclists lives. While state motorcycle rights organizations typically rebel against any government mandates, the new training requirements faced little motorcyclist opposition as the legislation made its way through the state legislatures. In Oregon and Maine, the rider groups largely supported the move and even helped implement the programs. The AMA Stance Despite the indisputable value of a properly structured rider education program, the AMA opposes legislation that would make such training mandatory for adults. Mandated rider education can substantially increase the expense of training and delay the delivery of training. It also has the potential to exacerbate the problem of unlicensed riders. The AMA believes that voluntary motorcycle rider training should be available as an incentive to increase licensure by permitting students to become licensed following the completion of an approved course. Riders who successfully complete rider training have acquired basic knowledge and riding skills, and they can demonstrate the skills necessary to meet state licensing requirements. Motorcycle rider training must remain available, convenient, affordable and effective if it is to contribute to a decline in motorcycle crashes that result in injuries and fatalities. As an alternative to mandatory rider training, increased funding of existing programs (while keeping user fees affordable), improved training reciprocity between states, and other incentives, such as insurance discounts, will result in more riders completing rider training courses. 26 AmericanMotorcyclist.com
Laurance says Oregon s rider education course was popular long before training became the law. ABATE of Oregon was instrumental in the founding and funding of TEAM OREGON, which has created what has become nationally recognized as one of the most innovative and successful motorcycle training programs ever developed, Laurance says. Patty A. Morneault, Maine s deputy secretary of state, says the minor backlash in that state stemmed from the justification for the requirement, the cost of the courses and the availability of training facilities and instructors. But the Maine motorcyclists did not object to the training itself. Darrell Spears, president of United Bikers of Maine, says his organization paid the course fees to train the first instructors and establish a rider education program before the state mandated training. Impetus For Change In Texas, state Sen. John J. Carona says he introduced the mandatory motorcycle training bill in 2009 to better protect motorcyclists on our roads. This was achieved by, among other things, requiring proper training for persons wishing to obtain a motorcycle license, providing for a motorcycle awareness campaign to make the general public more aware of motorcyclists on the road, and increasing penalties for drivers that fail to yield the road to motorcyclists in order to encourage drivers to follow ABATE of Oregon State Coordinator Joe Laurance, left, and Steve Garets, director of TEAM OREGON worked together on a training program. motorcycle safety laws, Carona says. I am especially proud of SB 1967 because stakeholders, including representatives of the motorcycle community, worked together to craft this legislation, he explains. I am pleased that the bill that was passed into law with the broad support of groups such as the Texas Motorcycle Rights Association, the Texas Motorcycle Roadriders Association, as well as a number of other motorcycle merchants and enthusiasts. Support from Texas motorcyclists was unwavering during the legislative process. The novice rider needs instruction in the basics of motorcycle use, just as there was driver education in schools when I was in school back in the 60s, says James Kelley, second vice president and legislative spokesman for the Texas Motorcycle Roadriders Association. Yes, I have been riding a motorcycle a long time and have seen a lot of change but in this time the distractions are much greater driving any vehicle. The instruction given by certified trainers is a critical starting point for the beginning rider, Kelley continues. Education gives the basics before they get on the street get into trouble and don t know what to do. Florida s legislature took action during a time of rising motorcycle fatalities, says John Lucas, press secretary at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The statistics showed that fatality rates among riders who participated in the Florida Rider Training Program were dramatically lower than those who had not been through the training, he says. So, mandatory training seemed like a logical step. For Connecticut, the training bill was the second option for legislators. Because Connecticut does not have a universal helmet law which is the only proven method to reduce motorcycle fatalities according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration mandatory training was the next best countermeasure, says Nicholas Just of the Motorcycle Safety/Connecticut Katy Weaver All in or all out. There is no in-between. The Victory Cross Country has an aggressive style that turns heads and gets people talking. If you re the kind of rider who s into high performance with a modern, bold, thumb-your-noseat-traditional kind of style, and if you make your choices in black and white, this is the perfect bike for you. RIDE ONE AND YOU LL OWN ONE. www.victorymotorcycles.com * Connecticut Effective Jan. 1, 2011, all applicants must successfully complete a novice safety course before obtaining a motorcycle endorsement. 1 28 AmericanMotorcyclist.com Florida Starting on July 1, 2008, the state of Florida requires that new motorcyclists (regardless of age) must take and pass the Basic RiderCourse through the Florida Rider Training Program before they get a motorcycle-only license or can have the motorcycle endorsement added to their drivers license. 2 Mandatory training State-By-State Maine Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a motorcycle learner s permit, license or endorsement may not be issued to a person, unless that person presents a certificate of successful completion of a motorcycle driver education program and examination approved by the Secretary of State. 3 Oregon If you apply for a motorcycle endorsement and you do not have a valid motorcycle endorsement from another state, the District of Columbia, a United States Territory or a Canadian Province, you must complete an approved motorcycle rider education course. 4 Rhode Island Rhode Island requires a special license to operate a motorcycle and the completion of a motorcycle safety course provided by the Community College of Rhode Island. 5 Texas A Class M driver license is needed to operate a motorcycle or moped. To obtain a Class M driver license, individuals are required to take a DPS-approved motorcycle safety course. 6 1 Source: http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?a=2094&q=436442 2 Source: http://www.dmvflorida.org/motorcycle-license.shtml 3 Source: http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/29-a/title29-asec1352.html 4 Source: http://www.oregon.gov/odot/dmv/pages/driverid/motorcycle_endorse.aspx 5 Source: http://www.dmv.ri.gov/licenses/motorcycles/ 6 Source: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/driverlicense/motorcyclelicense.htm Victory and Victory Motorcycles are registered trademarks of Polaris Industries Inc. Always wear a helmet, eye protection, and protective clothing and obey the speed limit. Never ride under the infl uence of drugs or alcohol. 2014 Polaris Industries Inc. *MSRP is the Manufacturer s Suggested Retail Price.
SMRO Skeptics Rider Education Program in the state Department of Transportation, Division of Highway Safety. Laurance, in Oregon, says mandatory training ensures that all properly licensed motorcyclists possess the basic skills needed to ride safely. It is my belief that this [mandatory training] is particularly effective with regard to those re-entering the world of motorcycling after a long hiatus, Laurance says. For example, that person who rode a Honda Trail 90 in 1974, yet has not ridden since, may not feel the need for refresher training, even though the motorcycle he or she has just bought weighs 500 pounds more and has four times the horsepower. The Oregon State Legislature, TEAM OREGON, ABATE of Oregon, and I feel otherwise. In states that passed the mandatorytraining laws, opposition among the legislators centered on the cost to riders, press reports indicate. In Connecticut, for example, some House members expressed concern that the $200 course fee was out of reach of many potential motorcyclists. Capacity Concerns Connecticut s new riders initially were frustrated by delays in access to training. This was a concern in the beginning, as some students had a significant wait time to find an open spot in a class even before Texas MRH Rider Training the mandatory requirement, Just says. There was a roughly 20 percent increase in (Basic RiderCourse) registrations the first year of mandatory training. But things smoothed out. Additional classes were added, and the community colleges that run the courses saw this as a windfall, Just says. In neighboring Rhode Island, the experience was different. The rider training course has not been much of an issue in Rhode Island, other than concerns about some classes filling up too quickly during the peak riding season, Lucier says. The Community College of Rhode Island, which conducts the course using Motorcycle Safety Foundation standards, successfully trains more than 2,000 individuals each year. To help ease capacity concerns, Rhode Island modified its law to allow private vendors to apply for a license to train riders. But no individuals or companies have applied, Lucier says. Lucas says that Florida already had numerous private motorcycle training facilities before the switch to mandatory training. Once the law changed, the department saw an increase in the number of sponsor school programs in underserved areas, he says. The training has not appeared to deter people from getting a motorcycle endorsement. There has been a slight increase in the numbers each year since training was mandated. To offset capacity concerns in Maine, all driver license examiners were trained as motorcycle safety instructors. However, the private Sandra Little Sister Clark, legislative committee chairman for the Connecticut Motorcycle Riders Association, says her organization s executive committee pretty much split on the issue. After three hours of discussion, arguments, promotion of the idea, expressed disgruntlements, and great debates, the CMRA E-Board had voted 7-6 to show support for the bill, she says. With the CMRA E-Board vote having been so close, membership expressions of freedom of choice versus mandating of education were quite heated, Clark recounts. Pure and simple logic won the debate that day. Automobile operators have to train to drive, why shouldn t motorcyclists be trained to ride? But, rather than take a public stance or offer testimony supporting the bill before the legislature, the CMRA encouraged individual members to voice their support or opposition to the mandate directly to their representatives. In May 2010, after lengthy debate, the state House voted 117 to 31 in favor of the bill. The state Senate had earlier approved it unanimously. In Texas, one SMRO still believes in training, but not necessarily the mandate or the way the law has been implemented. Jean Hudgins, president of the Texas Motorcycle Roadriders Association, says her organization ran the training program on a volunteer basis in the 1970s and 1980s. We helped write and get sponsors for the mandatory training for minors, Hudgins says. We then worked to get funding provided for all riders in Texas. Texas training courses are not readily available, she says. I think the original program was very important and successful, but without funding the new law is not going to work, she explains. The motorcyclists believe the legislature is using the motorcycle education fund to bolster its balance sheet. The motorcycle training fund has swelled to $16.2 million, with no money being spent since 2005, according to a comptroller s report. David Fross There s nothing subtle about the Victory Gunner. A classic bobber look, modernized with a big boy 106CI Freedom V-twin, a full size chassis, and coated in suede titanium. Engineered from the road up to blow away the competition. RIDE ONE AND YOU LL OWN ONE. www.victorymotorcycles.com * 30 AmericanMotorcyclist.com Victory and Victory Motorcycles are registered trademarks of Polaris Industries inc. Always wear a helmet, eye protection, and protective clothing and obey the speed limit. Never ride under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 2014 Polaris Industries Inc. *MSRP is the Manufacturer s Suggested Retail Price.
driving schools stepped up and took over the burden of offering the course, Morneault adds. Oregon handled the issue differently. Rather than risk becoming inundated with thousands of new riders to train immediately after the law passed, Oregon opted to phase in the training requirement over a period of five years. In 2011, the state required new riders younger than 31 to take the class before receiving a motorcycle endorsement on their licenses. Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, those younger than 41 were included. Those younger than 51 were brought in in 2013. This year, all new riders younger than 61 must undergo training. As of Jan. 1, 2015, all new riders must complete the TEAM OREGON course. Having the law phased in over five years was critical, so we avoided the snake-trying-to-swallow-a-bowlingball outcome, says Pat Hahn, communications and outreach manager at TEAM OREGON Motorcycle Safety Program. Hahn says that, even with the cushion provided by the phasing in of the training requirement, we began aggressively increasing capacity each year adding courses and ranges to stay ahead of the anticipated demand. Money-Saving Measure The training requirement is beginning to save some states money. By incorporating the on-cycle skills test into our training and offering the course as a license waiver class, the DMV no longer needed to offer on cycle skills testing, says Connecticut s Just. This saved the DMV and the state large amounts of money and reduced redundancy. In Oregon, the DMV is discontinuing motorcycle skills testing at many of its sites, as the training requirements are phased in. Cost savings at DMV is a factor, but hard to measure, says DOT spokesman David J. House. Essentially, it frees staff to serve other customer needs, so that we can serve a growing population with a shrinking work force, he says. In the long term, it also means that when DMV moves, remodels or upgrades a parking lot, space for motorcycle testing is not necessary. The Oregon DMV will cease motorcycle testing at the end of this year, but will continue to do skills tests for three-wheel vehicles because the TEAM OREGON training courses are designed for twowheel motorcycles, House explains. Overall Assessments Using crash data, Florida estimates that the proportion of motorcyclists riding without an endorsement fell about eight percentage points from 36.4 percent in 2005 to 28.5 percent in 2012. The department believes Florida has benefited by the change in law, as riders are leaving the course with a better understanding of the proper methods and techniques of safely operating a motorcycle. A safer rider community is a direct attribute of this training, Lucas says. There has also been an increase in awareness of the motorcycle laws by the automobile operators due to the law change and the public awareness campaigns that were associated with the change, he adds. Just believes that the Connecticut law has convinced a greater number of experienced riders to pursue training. We believe that after the mandatory Florida Rider Training Program requirement came in, a lot of riders who had been riding unlicensed for a long period of time decided to finally take the class, Just says. Previous to the requirement, it was very hard to get these riders to take one of our courses. I think that the perception of mandatory led to these riders ultimately taking the class. Michele O Leary, of the Oregon Department of Transportation Safety Division s motorcycle safety program, says mandatory training appears to be translating into fewer motorcycle crashes and fatalities, in proportion to the number of riders. We have observed the number of crashes each year has remained relatively constant, while the number of endorsement holders went up 7.64 percent during the same time period, she explains. Data appear to demonstrate that crashes remain the same but fewer people are dying, O Leary says. This may indicate that riders are better prepared for hazard avoidance during a crash. Laurance praises the TEAM OREGON program. I can state with confidence that the training I have received from TEAM OREGON has saved me on several occasions from injury or death, he says. 32 AmericanMotorcyclist.com