Alabama only state that doesn't require motorcycle license; pending bill would change that

OFF THE WIRE

http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/03/alabama_only_state_that_doesnt.html
Alabama only state that doesn't require motorcycle license; pending bill would change that
By Mike Cason
MONTGOMERY, Alabama --- A bill to end the Alabama’s distinction as the only state that does not require a motorcycle license failed to pass during the first half of the legislative session.
Every other state requires a motorcycle license or a motorcycle endorsement on a regular driver’s license to operate a motorcycle, said Anne Teigen, a policy specialist with the National Conference of State Legislatures.
In Alabama, anyone 16 and older with a regular driver’s license can also drive a motorcycle in the state, said Capt. Guy Rush, chief examiner of the Driver License Division for the Alabama Department of Public Safety.
Rush said an oversight in the 1990s led to the gap in the law and DPS is supporting legislation to fix the mistake.
The state Senate in February passed a bill to require motorcycle drivers to have a Class M endorsement on their license. The bill is pending in the House of Representatives.
As originally written, the bill required drivers to pass a motorcycle knowledge test to get the Class M designation. But the Senate amended the bill to limit the testing requirement to those under 19.
They would pay $5 to take the test and $18.50 to add the Class M endorsement, Rush said.
Those with a regular driver’s license age 19 and older would not be required to take the test, but would have to pay the $18.50 to add a Class M endorsement, Rush said.
Drivers who wanted to add the Class M at the time of license renewal would pay $23.50, Rush said.
“This is a first step to get us toward more safe operation of motorcycles,” Rush said.
Under current law, drivers can ask to take the knowledge test to get the Class M endorsement on their license. But the law does not require the endorsement to operate a motorcycle.
Rush said he would eventually like to see the state require a skills test before issuing a motorcycle license.
Rep. Allen Farley, R-McCalla, House sponsor of the bill, said he would also eventually like to see a skills test.
“The bottom line is just strictly nothing else but we’re trying to save a life,” said Farley, a former police officer and assistant sheriff in Jefferson County.
Farley said an inexperienced motorcyclist is a danger to other drivers who might crash or run off the road to avoid a motorcycle that has gone down in traffic or is operating erratically.
“A motorcycle is a lot of fun, but when you’re talking about putting a motorcycle on the highways today, as congested as they are, it automatically becomes something that’s not just fun, it becomes something that can be deadly,” Farley said.
As of 2010, 40 states required a skills test for a motorcycle license, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
As for the Class M endorsement on the license, many Alabama drivers already have the designation and might not even know it. Rush said when new driver’s license classes were assigned in 1995 those who already had licenses were “grandfathered” and given the M endorsement.
Those who don’t have the Class M endorsement are only legal driving a motorcycle as long as they are riding in Alabama, Rush said.
Alabama law allows those as young as 14 to be licensed to drive a “motor-driven cycle,” which is defined in the law as a motor scooter or any motorcycle weighing less than 200 pounds.
Legislators take next week off for spring break and will return April 2 to begin the final 15 meeting days of the session.
The motorcycle license bill, sponsored by Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, was changed slightly in a House committee. So it would have to return to the Senate if it passes the House.