Mopeds require registration starting Wednesday; insurance to come

Mopeds, which have operated for years with little regulation, are on their way to stricter requirements and rising costs – starting with a state law that goes into effect Wednesday requiring mopeds to be registered with the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles.

While drivers are still not required to have a license to operate a moped, they will have to present a driver’s license or state ID as well as a manufacturer’s certificate of origin to receive the required registration and license plate.

If no certificate of origin is available, drivers can submit an affidavit verifying proof of ownership.

The new license plate requirement was passed last year. Another bill passed the General Assembly in June and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory. That bill requires moped drivers to have insurance starting July 1, 2016.

N.C. DMV spokesman Steve Abbott said registration will require an annual $18 fee – the same as a motorcycle. Four counties – Durham, Orange, Randolph and Wake – will require an additional fee of up to $15. The DMV defines a moped as having an engine smaller than 50 cc and a maximum speed of 30 mph.

The average cost of a new moped is around $700, with $4 in gas taking a driver 150 miles, said Johnathan Monts, owner of Charlotte Scooter Shop on Central Avenue. He said his customers range from uptown dwellers looking to escape expensive parking to people who are struggling to make ends meet.

“There was a lot of anxiety about this law,” he said. “It’s really a good thing. It’s a database that keeps track of everybody’s scooters. ... That’s a big deal.”

N.C. Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Mike Baker said registration will help track mopeds that are stolen or involved in accidents.

The N.C. DMV estimates the state will have 25,000 mopeds by the end of 2015, and the N.C. Highway Patrol reported 426 collisions involving mopeds in 2014. Eighteen of those wrecks were fatal.

Baker said mopeds are allowed on state highways, can be stopped for speeding on city streets and are subject to alcohol tests at license checkpoints.

New insurance requirement

Now, when uninsured moped drivers cause an accident, the cost to repair damage to the other vehicle is usually covered by the other driver’s insurance, Baker said.

With the new insurance requirement, moped drivers will be held financially responsible for damage they cause, Abbott said.

Kerry Hall, spokeswoman for the N.C. Department of Insurance, said cost estimates for moped insurance range from $80 to $380 per year for average drivers, with premiums of $700 or more a year for those with bad driving records.

Because mopeds don’t require a driver’s license, some of those who use them are people who have lost their license after DWI convictions.

According to the Safe Driver Incentive Plan points system, a DWI costs a driver 12 points. The N.C. Department of Insurance estimates a 340 percent increase in the insurance cost for a 12-point infraction.

Theft prevention

Monts said registration will help track down scooters that are stolen.

“It’s two or three times a week I get these phone calls (about thefts) and there’s really nothing you can do about it,” Monts said. “You hate to hear somebody saved up for three or four months to buy a $700 scooter and a week later somebody steals it.”

He said he doesn’t think the new law will deter many people from purchasing or owning mopeds.

“The only people it’s going to hurt are people who are not well established,” he said.

This story was originally published June 30, 2015 at 7:59 PM with the headline "Mopeds require registration starting Wednesday; insurance to come."