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Motorcycle Licenses Going Fast As Class Requirement Looms

Tribune photo by JAY CONNER

Ana Nieves looks over the equipment as motorcycle/scooter enthusiasts line up to take the skills test.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 30, 2008

TAMPA - A throng of motorcyclists and scooter riders spilled into the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles parking lot in Tampa this morning, hell-bent on taking the test for a motorcycle license.

Most were inexperienced; more than one dumped their bikes during the short skills test.

They were there on the final day of state testing for prospective motorcycle licensees. Starting Tuesday, anyone wanting a motorcycle license, or endorsement, must take a class, which can cost several hundred dollars. If the class is passed, a certificate is issued and the state automatically will issue the endorsement.

Preston Quiles, 27, of Tampa, waited in line for his chance at the skills test under the oaks and pines behind the office at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Lois Avenue. He had passed the written part of the test and sat atop his brand new Suzuki GSX 600 watching others motor through the course.

He said he has been riding for about five years, but most of that was off-road. He wanted the endorsement today so he wouldn't have to spend a couple hundred dollars to take the class.

"I'm trying to get my endorsement," he said. "I just found out that starting tomorrow, I'll have to take a $200 course." He took time off work to come here today. He has been riding on an extended learner's permit.

During the test, he put his foot down during a swerving exercise and didn't pass. But he was allowed to come back later in the day to retake the skills portion of the test.

Ana Nieves manages the DMV office and said there has been a crush of motorcyclists coming in and taking the test to beat the deadline.

"Friday we did 75," she said. "Saturday between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., we did 62. Today we expect 60 to 70."

A normal day sees 10 to 15 motorcyclists, she said. "That's a big day."

Hillsborough County has a little more than 44,600 licensed motorcycle riders, according to state figures. So far in June, more than 700 have been issued, about twice the number handed out in June 2007.

On Monday, Nieves, who herself took and passed the test recently, was one of four inspectors taking turns churning people through the skills test outside. Many of those who showed up today could benefit from the class, she said. Normally, those who flunk the test are told to go out, practice and come back in a week or two. But today they are allowed to take the test twice, she said.

As she watched, a young rider dumped a scooter. He was not injured. The scooter was only slightly scraped. He had borrowed it from another rider.

Nieves said professional instruction in the art of motorcycle riding can benefit novice riders.

Classes offer tips from experienced riders that can be learned only after years on a bike. Tips such as how to swerve to avoid a pothole or when to steer clear of the center of a lane, where fluids from car engines tend to drip and make the pavement slick.

All that may go unlearned for those who hop on a motorcycle and take the state test today, she said.

That's the theory behind the new state law, designed to reduce the number of motorcycle accidents. In Florida, where the climate is conducive to year-round riding, the number of accidents approached 10,000 in 2006.

Passing the class means riders don't have to take the state test. Just present the class certificate to the driver's license bureau and an endorsement will be added to a driver's license.

The state has lists of sponsors, or schools, that offer certified classes for each county, and in Hillsborough there are six. Most courses have their own motorcycles, so students don't need a bike to take the course.

To find a course, log on to http://motorcycles.hsmv.state.fl.us/ or call (850) 488-3286.

In 2006, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 521 motorcyclists were killed in 8,990 wrecks on Florida highways. Nearly 8,000 motorcyclists were injured, statistics show.

Florida Highway Patrol Capt. Mark Welch said his agency supports the new law.

"What it does is have people get professionally trained before they get on a motorcycle and ride it," he said this morning from his office in Tallahassee. "There's a difference in the riders who take the course and those who just hop on and pass the state test," he said. "Professional training in how to operate a motorcycle is particularly useful for someone who's never operated a motorcycle before."

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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