The state will not require moped drivers to carry liability insurance just yet.
Headed to the governor’s desk is a compromise the General Assembly’s chambers approved Thursday that would only require moped owners to register the two-wheelers with the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles.
It would also order a study of whether the state should pass tougher regulations–like a future liability insurance requirement–on mopeds that travel public streets and highways.
That study, by the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee, would be due in time for next year’s lawmaking session, and it could be the basis for new legislation.
In what passed Thursday, “The owner of the moped shall pay the same base fee and be issued the same type of registration card and plate issued for a motorcycle,” states the bill with an effective date of July 1, 2015. The motorcycle plate fee currently is $18.
Required for registration is the manufacturer’s certificate of origin. If the applicant lacks that documentation, he or she may turn in an affidavit explaining why and “attesting that the applicant is entitled to registration,” says the bill.
Anyone over the age of 16 has been able to operate mopeds on North Carolina highways and public roads legally without a license, registration or insurance.
Mopeds can’t legally exceed 30 mph.
Insurance requirement vs. study
Debate over moped insurance is years old; the current bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Phil Shepard (R-Onslow), said during committee meetings he’d heard numerous complaints regarding the fairness of cars having to carry financial responsibility while mopeds are free of it.
Other lawmakers, including Rep. Mike Stone (R-Lee), argued mopeds (which Stone used to sell) are reliable transportation for hardworking people who can’t afford more traditional vehicles, and that mandating insurance on mopeds could be a defeating burden.
During Thursday’s House session, Shepard asked his chamber to concur with the study compromise, which came out of a conference committee that included Shepard as well as co-sponsor Rep. Chris Millis, the Pender County Republican.
It also mirrors what the full House originally approved before the bill landed in the Senate, which had voted for the insurance requirement.
The Senate gave the registration-and-study compromise its blessing Thursday afternoon.
Click here for full details on the bill.
Ben Brown is a news reporter at Port City Daily. Reach him at [email protected] or (910) 772-6335. On Twitter: @benbrownmedia
