News for
Immediate Release
May 6,
2014
PennDOT,
State Police, Motorcycle Community Join to Recognize Motorcycle Safety Month
Harrisburg
– In recognition of
Governor Tom Corbett proclaiming May as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month,
PennDOT Secretary Barry J. Schoch today joined representatives of motorcycle
riding and training communities, as well as the Pennsylvania State Police
(PSP), to kick off the awareness month.
“Both
motorcycle fatalities and crashes dropped last year from the year before and
overall crash fatalities are at historic lows,” Schoch said. “The continuing
support of the riding community, along with legislation regarding motorcycle
safety, provides important tools we can use to help ensure the safety and
survivability of riders here in Pennsylvania.”
Adding
their messages of support for safety and training for experienced and novice
riders were PSP Commissioner Frank Noonan and representatives from the Alliance
of Bikers Aimed Toward Education and the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program
(PAMSP).
"One
of the most difficult tasks of a state trooper is to inform a family member
that a loved one was suddenly and tragically killed in a fatal crash,"
Commissioner Noonan said. “Sadly, some of these crashes may have been
prevented, had the driver exercised responsible driving practices. I encourage
you to be properly licensed, know your driving capabilities, and most
importantly, ride within your limitations and do your part to be safe when
riding.”
This year
marks 30 years since passage of the 1984 legislation that established the
PAMSP. Corbett has built on that legacy with two motorcycle safety laws, Act 84
of 2012 and Act 126 of 2013.
Act 84 of
2012 applies all young driver rules, with the exception of driving at night and
in inclement weather, to individuals under the age of 18 seeking a motorcycle
license. This means the individual must hold a motorcycle learner’s permit for
six months and complete 65 hours of skill building on a motorcycle, including
taking and successfully completing the Basic Riders Course offered through
PAMSP in order to receive their motorcycle license. The Basic Rider Course
consists of 15 hours of training and counts toward the 65 hour skills building
requirement.
Under Act
126, after securing their first motorcycle learner’s permit, people may reapply
for another up to three times in a five-year period. The law is aimed at
preventing the practice of continually extending the permit without retaking
the knowledge test or ever taking the skills test and obtaining a motorcycle
license.
Act 126
prohibits PennDOT from renewing a person’s motorcycle learner’s permit.
Once the person’s motorcycle leaner’s permit expires, the individual may retake
the knowledge test and reapply for a new one. If a permit holder is
unsuccessful in obtaining a motorcycle license after the third permit
reapplication, they must wait the entire five years from the initial issuance
of the permit to get another one.
Nearly
3,500 crashes involving motorcycles occurred on Pennsylvania roadways in 2013,
500 fewer than in 2012. Those crashes resulted in 181 motorcyclist fatalities,
as opposed to 210 deaths in 2012. The number of registered motorcycles in
Pennsylvania decreased in 2013 by just over 3,800, while the number of licensed
motorcyclists increased by nearly 6,000.
For more
information on free motorcycle training for Pennsylvania residents with a
motorcycle license or permit or to enroll in a course, visit www.pamsp.com or call 1-800-845-9533.
Media
contact: Jan
McKnight, 717-787-0485
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