PA: Grove bill pushes motorcycle safety through rider licensing

OFF THE WIRE
http://www.yorkdispatch.com/news/ci_18684420
Grove bill pushes motorcycle safety through rider licensing GREG GROSS The York Dispatch Updated: 08/15/2011 10:45:58 AM EDT
State Rep. Seth Grove, R-Dover Township, has introduced legislation aimed at increasing motorcycle safety.
The bill would require riders to get a motorcycle license rather than continuously reapplying for a motorcycle learner's permit.
Currently, a rider can get a permit, which is good for a year, after passing a written test. The permit allows motorcyclists to legally ride and gain experience until they get their motorcycle license.
However, some riders reapply to renew the permit year after year rather than getting a full license, Grove said
Skills: To get a license, riders must pass a skills test or take part in the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program.
The program offers free rider training courses;
riders in the beginners program receive a motorcycle license at the end of the course. The program consists of five hours of classroom instruction and about 10 hours of riding instruction.
More motorcyclists taking the skills tests or enrolling in the program would mean more trained riders on the road, Grove said.
"If you create more safety ... long-term that should drive down motorcycle accidents," he said.
Fatal crashes: So far this year nine riders have died in motorcycle crashes in York County. Of those nine crashes, five were alcohol related, the York County Coroner's Office has said.
Part of the riding program focuses on the dangers of drinking and riding.
Under Grove's proposal, a rider would only be allowed to reapply for a learner's permit three times in 10 years. A permit would still be valid for one year, but a rider would not be able to reapply for a permit year after year if the bill is approved.
"The purpose is to make people get the license," Grove said.
If a rider doesn't get a license within 10 years of receiving the first permit, he or she wouldn't be able to get another permit for seven years, he said.
Grove said he chose three reapplications in 10 years with members of the armed forces in mind. For example, if a member of the military passes basic training and gets a permit but is deployed overseas before he or she can get a license, that person would be able to reapply for a permit upon returning stateside, Grove said.
The bill was referred to the transportation committee earlier this year and is expected to be addressed in the fall, Grove said.