Moped Registration Coming To North Carolina
--Bar automobile drivers who have lost their licenses because of medical problems or impaired driving from operating a moped.
--Require a driver's license or state-issued ID card for all moped operators.
--Require moped operators to carry liability insurance.
--Outlaw mopeds on roads where the posted speed limit is 45 miles per hour or faster. Under state law, mopeds are supposed to be incapable of speeds greater than 30 mph.
"Most (moped) fatalities are on higher-speed roads, and it's kind of a no-brainer," Thomas said. "A low-speed vehicle on a high-speed road will lose."
Authorities reported 3,812 crashes involving mopeds from 2009 through 2013, including 115 fatal crashes. About one-third of these crashes and two-thirds of the deaths were on roads with speed limits of 45 mph or faster, according to state
Legislators said that requiring license plates for mopeds will help police with traffic enforcement. Sen.
The new law requiring moped registration was enacted last year after the House rejected a
Thomas' recommendation to bar impaired drivers from operating mopeds highlights a major factor in moped use. Drivers who lose their licenses often turn to mopeds as their only legal means of transportation.
Among 833 moped operators involved in crashes in 2013, the automobile driver licenses had been revoked or suspended for 374 of them -- mostly for driving while impaired, according to a DMV analysis. Only 114 of these moped operators had active driver's licenses.
"This is a tough issue," said Sen.
Daniel said he also worried that a move to outlaw mopeds on high-speed roads would mean barring them from all rural roads.
Siceloff: 919-829-4527 or newsobserver.com/roadworrierblog Twitter: @Road_Worrier
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