Maryland Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog
For many people out there it may come as somewhat of a surprise that there are individuals who drive a car, motorcycle or commercial vehicle without being properly licensed. For some, the cost of obtaining a valid passenger car or commercial driver’s license is apparently too much to spend. As Maryland personal injury attorneys, we come across this situation from time to time and it is disconcerting.
When it comes to bikers, it would not be a stretch to say that there are people operating motorcycles on public roads who do not possess the proper endorsement from the state. In fact, here in Baltimore, we have had problems with individuals breaking the law by riding unlicensed and possibly uninsured trail bikes and other off-road vehicles on city streets and causing occasional traffic accidents.
It is possible that there are some very competent motorcycle riders out there who, for whatever reason, choose to operate a bike illegally by not becoming properly licensed. Is it a matter of cost, of time, or a lack of concern? There is no easy answer. Many of these individuals do not get caught until they get pulled over for a traffic violation or end up getting into a traffic accident with another vehicle.
Whatever the reason for not being properly licensed, it’s a fair assumption that many would choose to be if the opportunity arose. For those riders who have the skills and are looking for a relatively quick way to obtain a legal motorcycle license, the state has instituted a pilot program for training and licensing of previously unlicensed bikers.
According to a news item, the state’s Motor Vehicle Administration recently approved an Intermediate Riding Clinic (IRC). The single-day class is meant specifically for experienced riders who don’t currently have a valid motorcycle endorsement on their driver’s license. This group includes a range of individuals, from dirt bike riders and those just operating on a permit, to those riding without a proper endorsement. This latter category has been a major problem for law enforcement departments across the nation.
Here in Maryland, the program is known as the “Total Control IRC” and is planned to be offered only at Howard Community College’s Rider School. According to news sources, the one-day class will include six hours of classroom instruction as well as driving range exercises. Following the day-long course, students must pass a state-approved riding skills test in order to obtain their motorcycle endorsement.
For more information on this new approach to licensing riders, you can visit one or all of the following websites: totalcontroltraining.net, howardcc.edu or motorcycletraining.com. We can only hope that this effort will help to train previously unlicensed riders on those necessary riding skills, riding etiquette and all-important traffic laws to make them better and more responsible motorists.
Total Control: Motorcycle Licensing Class, UltimateMotorcycling.com, March 18, 2011