Tougher licensing standards for mopeds


Tougher licensing standards for mopeds
The Issue
This petition is to create tighter restrictions around moped rentals on block island and mopeds in general. On Saturday the 15th of August there was an accident taking the life of a young Cranston man on block Island. He was operating a moped with a passenger and crossed the center of the road at the same time as an SUV was approaching on the narrow roads of the Island and was hit head-on killing him instantly. While hearing about this tragedy I found out last Sunday there was another accident on block island involving a 16-year-old. The regulations around mopeds are way too lax. These vehicles should require an instructional course or a motorcycle license and not a standard driver's license only. Riding a 2 wheel motorized vehicle takes a completely different skillset; to get qualified to drive a motorcycle it requires classroom and course time that amounts to over a dozen hours. However, when you rent a moped the only requirement is for you to maintain control over it for a distance of 25 to 50 ft which is supervised by any rental agency worker available at that time possibly even a teenager. It's at most a 10 - 15-minute review. In RI you even have to be 25 years old to rent a motor vehicle so why are these different? They are not toys so I am requesting that these accidents be reviewed and for our representatives to address this lack of oversight and tighten laws around mopeds and moped rentals. We have already lost too many people and the industry needs to be held accountable, especially the rental agencies on Block Island. I am requesting this to be called the Corey Sanville act or law in order to honor a life cut too short that may have been avoided. It will require operators to be properly trained before being able to operate a motorized bicycle or moped, therefore, preventing the roads from being littered with inexperienced drivers. I have heard of stories where people try to show proficiency, fall and are still allowed to rent one of these vehicles. Let's put a stop to this and hold rental agencies and potential drivers to a higher standard.

5,200
The Issue
This petition is to create tighter restrictions around moped rentals on block island and mopeds in general. On Saturday the 15th of August there was an accident taking the life of a young Cranston man on block Island. He was operating a moped with a passenger and crossed the center of the road at the same time as an SUV was approaching on the narrow roads of the Island and was hit head-on killing him instantly. While hearing about this tragedy I found out last Sunday there was another accident on block island involving a 16-year-old. The regulations around mopeds are way too lax. These vehicles should require an instructional course or a motorcycle license and not a standard driver's license only. Riding a 2 wheel motorized vehicle takes a completely different skillset; to get qualified to drive a motorcycle it requires classroom and course time that amounts to over a dozen hours. However, when you rent a moped the only requirement is for you to maintain control over it for a distance of 25 to 50 ft which is supervised by any rental agency worker available at that time possibly even a teenager. It's at most a 10 - 15-minute review. In RI you even have to be 25 years old to rent a motor vehicle so why are these different? They are not toys so I am requesting that these accidents be reviewed and for our representatives to address this lack of oversight and tighten laws around mopeds and moped rentals. We have already lost too many people and the industry needs to be held accountable, especially the rental agencies on Block Island. I am requesting this to be called the Corey Sanville act or law in order to honor a life cut too short that may have been avoided. It will require operators to be properly trained before being able to operate a motorized bicycle or moped, therefore, preventing the roads from being littered with inexperienced drivers. I have heard of stories where people try to show proficiency, fall and are still allowed to rent one of these vehicles. Let's put a stop to this and hold rental agencies and potential drivers to a higher standard.

5,200
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on August 16, 2020