ABATE of Indiana's committment to motorcycle skills testing:
Indiana has required motorcyclists to have a specialized license (motorcycle endorsement) for about 25 years. Initially, during the introduction or phasing in, an applicant merely took a written test to obtain their endorsement by being "grandfathered". Since that time there have been basically two ways to get the endorsement. Regardless of how you go about it, the first thing you must do is go to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and take a written test to obtain a motorcycle learner's permit. The permit expires the following year at the end of the month issued. Once you have held the permit for 30 days, you are eligible to take your motorcycle to a skills examination site and take a test. The other option is to successfully complete a motorcycle rider's course and take the course completion card to the BMV with your permit and the skills test is waived.
In case you haven't guessed, ABATE of Indiana has now been contracted by the BMV to provide motorcycle license examinations statewide. This is the biggest move ABATE has made in motorcycle safety since we began rider education. In the late 1980s about 70% of the riders involved in an accident in Indiana were not properly licensed to ride a motorcycle. Those persons are still overrepresented in accidents. It is our hope that by increasing access to rider education and skills examinations and making the process more convenient we may be able to get more people properly licensed and trained. Some of the concerns that we have had and how we intend to address them are as follows.
While Indiana has 92 counties the number of examination sites had dwindled to about 16. In using the existing ABATE rider course training sites motorcyclists should have fair access to a test facility. We have worked hard and are proud of the fact that from virtually anywhere in the state no one is further than about 40 miles from a training site. Even though we will not necessarily increase the number of locations, geographically there will be better access
Traditionally the schedule for test sites started in May and was posted as every other Saturday. Additionally, rain would preempt testing and it could end up being four or six weeks between tests. We intend to closely mimic the schedule for our rider courses with most beginning in April and some going as late as early November. Many locations will offer tests three times monthly and some sites will be virtually every weekend. These changes should result in a 50% to 100% increase in testing opportunities. Additional test locations, dates and times are possible in the near future. As long as the examiner determines that conditions are safe, applicants will have the ability to choose to test even if there has been some rain.
The schedule of dates and times as well as test locations is posted on the website at www.abateofindiana.org and at your local license branch. Notices and press releases have been sent to dealers, shops and media outlets around the state.
The examiners that we will use are mostly our motorcycle safety Instructors. Each of these Instructors has undergone more than 100 hours of training and is experienced, certified and professional. We look forward to this endeavor, but it is a little different for us as it is something new. Tell everyone that you know so that they will be patient and understanding. We welcome suggestions and encourage people to let us know how we are doing.
Get Licensed, Get Legal,
Jay Jackson
Executive Director
ABATE of Indiana, Inc |
