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Pennsylvania

Effective date of original law:
July 1, 1984

 Ultimate Program Responsibility
Department of Transportation
Riverfront Office Building
1101 South Front Street
Harrisburg, PA 17104

Day-to-Day Administration
David Surgenor, State Coordinator
Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program
1425 Eden Road
York, PA 17402
Phone: 717-849-5156
Fax: 717-849-5166
E-mail: dsurgenor@msf-usa.org
Web site: www.dmv.state.pa.us/msp/
index.shtml

Program Administration
Legislative Provisions

  • Source of funding: Original motorcycle license, annual renewal, and learner’s permit/replacement fees ($2)
  • Stipulated use of funds: To be applied to costs incurred in administering and conducting motorcycle safety and education programs

Relationship Among Various Programs

  • A strong partnership with open lines of communication is used on a daily basis.

Collection of Rider Training and Licensing Data

  • Agency responsible for collecting rider training data:
    Motorcycle Safety Program
  • Agency responsible for collecting licensing data: Motorcycle Safety Program and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
  • Data available in electronic format: Yes
  • Link between crash, licensing, and rider education data: None

Rider Education
Training Delivery

  • Months of instruction: April through October
  • Number of instruction sites: 41
  • Types of providers: Rider’s Edge, high schools, Department of Transportation buildings, universities, motorsports complexes, community complexes, vocational technical schools, career and technical centers, fire departments, social halls, hotels, churches, and shopping malls

Operations and Participant Characteristics

  • Courses offered: 1339
  • Students enrolled: 15,332
  • No-shows or registration refunds: 3718
  • Time until course reaches capacity: 1 hour
  • Average waiting period to take course: N/A
  • Students on waiting list: N/A

Program Funding and Expenditures

  • Annual budget: $1,688,928
  • Source of Federal funds: None
  • Average cost to State to educate rider: $110.16
  • Course tuition charged to novice rider: $0 in-State, $150 out-of-State
  • Course tuition charged to experienced rider: No charge
  • Special fees in addition to course fees: N/A

Curriculum

  • Approved curricula: MRC:RSS,
    BRC, and ERC
  • Advisory committee: None
  • Curricula approved by:
    Department of Transportation
  • Process to modify curricula: N/A
  • Data collected for modifications: N/A
  • Validation process for modifications: N/A
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Instructor Selection, Training, and Evaluation

  • State certification or approval is required for Instructors and Chief Instructors.
  • Department of Transportation certifies schools and Instructors. The program is to include Instructor curriculum and training requirements.
  • Instructors are required to complete a two-class internship.
  • State offers Instructor Preparation Course (IPC).
  • Annual updates are required for Instructors. Chiefs/RiderCoach Trainers, program staff, and State coordinators monitor Instructors annually. Knowledge test, skills test, student teaching, and qualitative assessment also required.

Profile of Instructors

  • Certified Instructors/RiderCoaches: 292
  • Chief Instructors/RiderCoach Trainers: 5
  • Instructor candidates in 2001: 58
  • Percentage of successful Instructor candidates: 88%
  • Instructor demographics: 79% male; 21% female
  • Reciprocity for Instructors trained in other States: Yes

Quality Control Procedures

  • Chief Instructors are responsible for quality control.

Program Evaluation

  • The program conducts regular evaluations in the form of customer surveys and random mailings.
  • Evaluation data is used for program improvement.

Special Features of Rider Education and/or Licensing Program

  • Rider is automatically licensed upon successful completion of BRC.
  • State provides rider education at no cost to in-State students.

Licensing Requirements
Permit

  • $7 cost of initial permit
  • Successful completion of vision test (without a drivers license)
  • Successful completion of knowledge test (without a drivers license)
  • Valid for 120 days
  • Unlimited renewals

License

  • $20 license endorsement fee
  • Rider must be 16 with or without the successful completion of a rider education course.
  • Motorcycle license must be renewed every 4 years.

Operator Licensing
Testing and Training Responsibilities

  • Testing agency: Department of Transportation
  • Third-party testing: Yes
  • Agency responsible for training examiners:
    Motorcycle Safety Program and the
    Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

Knowledge and Skills Tests Used

  • Primary knowledge test used: MSF
  • Skills test used: Local off-street

Incentives

  • Rider education waiver: Skills and knowledge
  • Reciprocity for rider education completed in another State: None
  • Reciprocal license waivers: Yes

Operator and Vehicle Characteristics

  • Motorcycle operators licensed: 743,183
  • Registered motorcycles: 233,237
  • New motorcycle licenses/endorsements issued in 2001: N/A
  • Operators licensed through rider education in 2001: N/A
  • Operators licensed without rider education: N/A
  • Operators without license or proper endorsement: N/A

Motorcyclist Licensing System

  • Graduated licensing: None
  • Tiered licensing: None

Public Information and Education

  • Operator’s manual used: Motorcycle Operator’s Manual
  • Annual budget for public information and education: Less than $5,000
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