Governor Ron DeSantis signs legislation to support motorcycle safety
Press release from the Office of Governor Ron DeSantis
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation to expand motorcycle safety and education opportunities. Senate Bill 838 allocates funding to three not-for-profit organizations to establish a motorcycle safety and education program in order to reduce motorcycle accidents in Florida.
“Florida is home to more than 650,000 motorcyclists who are able to ride all year long,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “It is important to continue promoting motorcycle safety and education programs that will prevent accidents and make our roads safer.”
The bill reallocates the motorcycle safety education fee received by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FHSMV) for the Florida Motorcycle Safety Education Program to three Florida not-for-profit corporations that will administer motorcycle safety and education programs throughout the state. The programs may include pamphlets, advertisements, public service announcements, digital media, social media, a website, participation at grassroots motorcycle events, and advocacy.
To be selected as an administrator, the program administrators must be charities registered with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. One of the program administrators must be a motorcycle grassroots organization that has actively worked with the Florida motorcycle community for at least 30 years with a history of actively advocating for motorcycle safety and able to demonstrate membership geographically dispersed throughout the state of at least 5,000 members as of January 1, 2023. Two of the program administrators must be motorcycle grassroots organizations that have been in existence for at least 20 years with an established history of advocating for motorcycle safety and able to demonstrate membership geographically dispersed throughout the state of at least 1,000 members as of January 1, 2023.
GPD still hosts the SMART motorcycle safety class at the Kirkpatrick police training center. There is a class this coming Saturday at 8am, free to the public. Bring your motorcycle (and helmet) and get trained by actual police motorcycle officers who put you through a portion of their training courses. Look up the class on the GPD website where you can sign up.
If DeSatan was serious about motorcycle safety, he’d put a helmet law on the books.
If you do not ride yourself then keep your opinion about helmets to yourself. It does not affect you.
I’ll share my opinions freely, and you should feel free to do the same, Cletus.
You mean like Statute 316.211(1)?
The focus needs to be more than the cyclists as most fatalities come from other vehicles turning in front of motorcycles. That is why I gave up riding on the road, 3 times, 2 crashes, and I am not giving them another shot at me.