Last Updated on April 30, 2015 6:32 pm
Legislators in Raleigh are once again tackling the issue of should moped owners in the state be required to have insurance. Starting July 1, 2015 moped owners in North Carolina will have to register with the NCDMV, however the issue of insurance has been a back and forth battle between the House and Senate from nearly day one of the proposal.
In August 2014 Governor Pat McCrory signed a bill into law that moped owners had to register with the state. The proposal for that bill was first introduced in June 2014 by Representative Phillip Shepard (R-Onslow). At the time Rep. Shepard told WataugaRoads.com that he propsed the bill because “lots of people have been in accidents with mopeds and they are responsible for repairing their own car and their insurance goes up and the moped driver is not responsible”. “There is no way of tracking how many mopeds are on our highway because they are not registered with DMV. We can only track the accidents that get a police report” added Shepard.
The original proposed bill had an insurance provision in it, however the House Finance Committee took out the provision, leading to a Senate committee adding it back in, leading the House to once again remove it. The bill ended up passing both House and Senate without the provision in it.
On Wednesday (April 29, 2015) the House passed a second reading of House Bill 148, which Rep. Shepard filed in March, to require moped owners “to have in full force and effect a policy of financial responsibility, to provide the moped are subject to safety inspections, and to make clarifying changes related to the law requiring the registration of mopeds.” The measure passed 81 to 32 and will now go to the Senate, which favored the original measure with the insurance provision in it.
According to NCDMV the requirements currently to operate a moped are:
Must be age 16 or older to operate on NC highways or public vehicular areas.
A motorcycle safety helmet is required by law when operating a moped on NC highways
A moped cannot have a motor of more than 50 cubic cc, an external shifting device, or have the capability of exceeding 30 miles per hour on a level surface.
A driver license is not required.
The moped does not have to be registered (this will change July 1), inspected or covered by liability insurance.
In Tennessee
Anyone with a valid Tennessee driver license may operate a motorized bicycle that is 50cc or less and no endorsement is required on the driver license.
In South Carolina
To operate a moped on the public highways and streets, you must be at least 14 years of age, have a valid driver’s license/ motorcycle license, a permit or a valid moped operator’s license.
A person whose driver’s license has been suspended for six months or less is not required to obtain a moped operator’s license or possess a valid driver’s license during the period of suspension when operating a moped. No person may operate a moped at a speed in excess of twenty-five miles an hour.
Effective July 1, 2013, Virginia law requires that every moped driver operating on Virginia roadways carry a government-issued photo ID (does not have to be a driver’s license).
Every driver and passenger must wear a helmet * while riding a moped. Drivers must also wear a face shield, safety glasses or goggles unless the moped has a windshield.
Operation of mopeds is prohibited on the interstate.
In Virginia, you must be at least age 16 to drive a moped.
It is illegal to drive a moped if your license is suspended or revoked for convictions of DUI, underage consumption of alcohol, refusing a blood/breath test, or driving while suspended/revoked for a DUI-related offense.
If your driving privilege is suspended or revoked due to a DUI-related conviction, you must be in full compliance with all requirements imposed by DMV and the court before operating a moped.
