Lawmakers May Tighten Moped Laws

Las Vegas Now | Lawmakers May Tighten Moped Laws

I am a Whole Life Insurance agent specializing in worksite group employee benefits for governments. Presently we offer our product to 63 county governments in Indiana, 8 counties in Wisconsin and a couple in Illinois, and counting. In doing government accounts, I have spent a lot of time in county jails and community correctional facilities. During the summer months those that do their time on weekends or have working privileges use scooters/moped to get to and from work , because they can not afford the high cost of auto insurance. Seeing the plethora of mopeds at these facilities, tightening the laws would hinder their ability to work or fulfil their required community service. You can not get a moped license if your driving privileges are revoked. When reinstated, in many states; an eyesight, road and written test are still required to get a moped license. Do you think they should tighten the Moped Laws??

In Las Vegas, NV:
Lawmakers May Tighten Moped Laws

Updated: April 8, 2009 08:10 PM

Moped and scooters became popular fast when gas prices spiked. But it is not just their low cost that is attracting riders, it's the laws they don't have to follow.

Safari Scooters and Cycles has mopeds and scooters of all kinds. It's these small bikes that come with huge concerns. It could be because you don't have to have insurance to operate them or maybe it's because of who's behind the handle bars many times.

They sound and even bare a similar resemblance to a motorcycle, but they're not. They're mopeds, or scooters, and come with limited restrictions.

"You don't have to pay for insurance. You don't have to take a test. You don't have to deal with the DMV -- no registration or plates. You don't have to wear a helmet," said Trish Glatter with Safari Scooters & Cycles.

Glatter has been riding bikes for 40 years, and now owns her own shop. The bill would require all this to change, making riders having to pay.

"Who it will hurt most are the people who can't because they have a DUI and can't get a drivers license or people who, maybe because of a doctor's reason, can't get a license," she said.

Glatter says she does not support DUI, but it's no secret that DUI offenders use mopeds, "I'd rather see them on a moped because if they can't get a license they'll be in a car. They'll be doing something illegal anyways."

More than enough reason for Metro to support this bill. "Metro has been experiencing a large increase in accidents involving scooters and the greater majority have been the scooters fault," said Metro Sgt. Oscar Chavez.

Mopeds being insured would help with accountability when it comes accidents, "The other driver involved has been responsible for repairing their own vehicles and it's caused a lot of issues for us." Metro wants to make it clear, a moped is considered a motor vehicle and riders are required to have a license, even though many are under the impression that they don't.

In Raleigh, NC:

Opinion: NC Bill Targets, Hurts Poor In Moped Bill
By The Raleigh Telegram 10.APR.09
RALEIGH - In this Raleigh Telegram opinion piece, the newspaper believes the new bill that would make mopeds subject to licensing and insurance requirements would unfairly hurt those who are poor and on the fringes of society. The bill unfairly targets those who are struggling to work in the worst of economic times.

NEW MOPED BILL TARGETED TO HURT THE POOR

A new bill has been introduced by attorney Senator Tony Rand (D-Fayetteville) that would require mopeds and other low powered scooters to get license plates and insurance in North Carolina.

High-powered motorcycles already are required to be registered with the state and get insurance, but under current state law, moped or scooter riders do not have to obtain either insurance or a driver's license before riding those smaller and slower.

This proposed bill ignores some simple facts regarding people who rides mopeds and scooters in North Carolina.

--People who ride mopeds and scooters may not have the money to get insurance, which is why they ride a scooter instead of a car

--People who ride mopeds and scooters may not be able to get a license or may have had to give up their license for offenses, meaning that they have no other choice in driving to work or school than taking a moped

--People who ride mopeds and scooters, especially those in rural communities, sometimes depend on these vehicles as their only lifeline to work, shopping, or going to school

The bill would require those who ride mopeds to get insurance, which in North Carolina is generally unobtainable unless you have a valid driver's license.

It remains to be seen as to whether anyone behind this bill has actually considered that people who ride mopeds and scooters may not drive a car because they cannot obtain insurance or couldn't afford it even if they could.

For drivers who have lost their licenses due to DUI or other driving convictions, insurance is not obtainable. Even for those who can regain their license after their DUI conviction, insurance can easily top $2000 or more a year for car insurance.

Although DUI laws are designed to protect people from getting killed on the highways, are those who were convicted and have served their time and penalties to be denied for three years from being able to get to work? Or school?

Of course, proponents of the bill say that those convicted of DUI should have thought of that beforehand. However, if the true intent of the bill is to say that DUI offenders won't be able to work, go to church, the grocery store, or school if they are convicted, then we should be changing the DUI laws to read that way, not add scooter or moped registrations to change those penalties.

In addition, there are plenty of people who have not been convicted of a DUI or other traffic laws who depend on scooters and mopeds because they are cheap.

A moped is small, uses little gas, and is relatively cheap to maintain, especially with no insurance to pay. Someone who is on a fixed income such as a student or elderly person who needs a small vehicle but who may not be able to afford a car can use a scooter to take care of their transportation needs.

They desperately depend on these vehicles as sometimes their ONLY means of getting food to eat or making a living. Is North Carolina that desperate for money and sources of revenue that we need to make poor people even poorer by denying them their only means of getting around?

Sure they could ride the bus or walk. Ever tried to walk six miles in the rain to work? It takes a couple of hours. Ever tried to take a bus in rural Rockingham County or Caswell County? There isn't one.

The bill's proponents say that they want to pass the measure because mopeds and scooters are a big danger to other people and cars (Note: It's NOT because North Carolina is in dire need of ways to tax people to raise more money -- there is absolutely no connection between the sudden need for moped plates and NC's large deficit).

In terms of the stated dangers to other cars, a moped's impact is more like that of a bicycle than an SUV. Do we really need more insurance, lawyers, and lawsuits involved in our society? The answer to that is no.

Should we also start licensing bicycles, go-karts, off-road ATV's, Big Wheels, little red wagons, farm tractors, and horses? The answer to that is also no, but let's use the bill's proponents' own reasoning.

If we're deciding to license vehicles in North Carolina based on the amount of damage they can do, a 1200 pound horse or a 5000 pound farm tractor (which are both legal to ride on NC roads without a license or insurance) would certainly do a lot more damage than a moped if it ran into you or your car.

For that matter, let's start putting license plates on lawn mowers. We've seen some pretty big lawn mowers almost run into cars when they circle around into the street. Some of them weigh a lot more than scooters.

To get back to the point, let's not punish poor people because they're poor. We realize that those who live on the edge of society and those who ride scooters to work or to get groceries don't have a paid lobbyist in Raleigh to buy lunches and gain the ear of politicians like Senator Tony Rand. Despite their lack of political influence, let's not deny them the basic right of being able to function as a human being.

In these times of dire economic times, let's also look out for North Carolina taxpayers. Who will take care of these people if they can't get to work? Who will feed them if they can't buy groceries?

The taxpayers will. Already charities such as Meals On Wheels are maxed out to the limits. Government funded transportation programs such as one operated by Guilford County are under fire for spending too much money on trips which cost taxpayers every day.

Let's give people the means to continue to make their own money, to buy their own food, to make their own trips. The NC Legislature should defeat this bill, especially in these harsh economic times. ::