DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AND EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS IS NOT WORKING
Florida Today newspaper had an article about Florida having the highest death rates in the country for motorcycle riders.
For the third year in a row Florida ranks Number 1 in Motorcycle Deaths in the country, according to highway safety statistics.
Florida had 9,420 motorcycle crashes in 2024, resulting in 578 fatalities and 8,106 injuries according to the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FHSMV)
The years before were worse, with 621 fatalities in 2023 and 631 in 2022
This is partly due to the number of motorcycles registered in the state ( Florida has over 700,000 registered motorcycles) and that does not include the large amounts that come as tourists throughout the year or to Daytona Beach and surrounding areas twice a year for Bike Week and Biketoberfest.
THANKS TO ABATE of Florida for getting the state to pass a law that increased penalties for those who violated Vulnerable Road Users.
In Florida Motorcyclist are classified as Vulnerable Road Users
That law went into effect on July 1,2024 and as of this date I have NOT Been Able To Find Anyone Charged With Violating It.
I personally checked with some members of law enforcement that I know and asked if they were aware of this law and what if anything their department was doing about it.
Not one of the officers I talked to had even heard about it.
I also asked other people to check with law enforcement they knew, and the results were the same.
The Motorcycle Rights Organizations can get all the laws passed needed to stop the killing of motorcyclist, BUT if those laws are not being enforced, they are not going to make any difference.
One way to correct this would be to have the motorcycle riders around the state to start contacting their local Law Enforcement agencies and making them aware of the law and insist they start enforcing it.
It would be even better if the new Florida Motorcycle Safety Program would make sure every law enforcement agency was aware of the new law and that they expected them to start enforcing it.
It sounded like the FMSP was taking a step in a new direction as it would join three large Florida motorcycle organizations. They call it a 5-year plan and it went into effect in 2024.
I did reach out to contact people on the flier when I was given one in 2024, but they were not very specific about what they were actually doing.
I did stop at a tent that FMSP had at Daytona International Speedway during Biketoberfest 2024 and again did not get a lot of information.
Oh, but I did get a bunch of promotional items and swag.
I have attended some ABATE meetings and events where they had tents set up with more promotional items.
I did attend the Sons Of Speed Event at the New Smyrna Speedway on March 1,2025 and ABATE did have a tent on the track and a table with more promotional items.
I did look for a FMSP tent in Daytona March 8, 2025 at the Daytona Speedway where they were in 2024 and at Destination Daytona but did not see them anywhere. I had hopes of finding out what they accomplished, so far to Help Make Motorcycling Safer.
While riding on I-95 the Highway Message Signs Said
MOTORCYCLE
SAFETY
BE SEEN
While I have no idea who was responsible for the message, I was upset. It was telling the Motorcyclist To Be Seen, something that has been going on back to the late ’60s and early ’70s
That’s where Doing The Same Things And Expecting Different Results Is Not Working comes in.
By now, motorcyclist are and or should be aware to keep their head on a swivel while riding and those who are promoting programs for Motorcycle Safety should be Demanding that F.S.316.027 Be Enforced In Florida.
I do remember previous years highway signs reading:
WATCH
FOR
MOTORCYCLES
Vehicle operators Are Guilty of Not Paying Attention. Using The Excuse “They Did Not See The Motorcycle” doesn’t cut it anymore.
The fee to license a vehicle includes things like administration, education, blah, blah, blah and $2.50 for education.
This established fee never changed for as long as I can remember. Of course, it has varied through the years depending on how many motorcycles were registered.
The statement from the FMSP concluded 700,000 motorcycles times $2.50 = $1,750,000.
That’s A Lot Of Money and The Death and Injury Rate Of Florida Motorcyclist didn’t dip.
The fee, when originally went into effect was intended to be used “exclusively: for motorcycle safety and education,” but over the years the law changed and funded the operation of the DHSMV,
The motorcycle rights organization ABATE did receive some funds. But due to an issue with how they were being used that was stopped
ABATE is universally respected in the motorcycle community — a rarity given the diversity of the community, which encompasses veterans’ groups, current and former law enforcement, Christian groups, family groups, retiree groups, Harley owner’s groups, and many more.
The organization received state funding in the past. The year ABATE of Florida was charged with administering the program was the only year the state saw a decrease in motorcycle deaths and injuries according to ABATE.
But ABATE lost state funding in 2011 when lawmakers modified the statute to allow the fee to be used for general operations at DHSMV. Motorcycle deaths and injuries have climbed in the years since.
In 2024 the following went into effect
|  The 2024 Florida Statutes (including 2025 Special Session C) MOTOR VEHICLES Chapter 320 MOTOR VEHICLE LICENSES View Entire Chapter 320.08 License taxes.—Except as otherwise provided herein, there are hereby levied and imposed annual license taxes for the operation of motor vehicles, mopeds, tri-vehicles as defined in s. 316.003, and mobile homes as defined in s. 320.01, which shall be paid to and collected by the department or its agent upon the registration or renewal of registration of the following: (1) MOTORCYCLES AND MOPEDS.— (a) Any motorcycle: $10 flat. (b) Any moped: $5 flat. (c) Upon registration of a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, or moped, in addition to the license taxes specified in this subsection, a nonrefundable motorcycle safety education fee in the amount of $2.50 shall be paid. The proceeds of the safety education fee shall be deposited in the Highway Safety Operating Trust Fund. (d) The entire safety education fee shall be used for a safety and education program administered by three Florida not-for-profit corporations. 1. The program administrators must be charities registered with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. 2. One of the program administrators must be a motorcycle grassroots organization that has been in existence for no less than 30 years with an established history of advocating for motorcycle safety during that time period and can demonstrate membership of at least 5,000 members as of January 1, 2023, which are geographically dispersed throughout this state. 3. Two of the program administrators must be motorcycle grassroots organizations that have been in existence for no less than 20 years with an established history of advocating for motorcycle safety during that time period and can demonstrate membership of at least 1,000 members as of January 1, 2023, which are geographically dispersed throughout this state. (e) The department shall enter into a 5-year contract with each of the program administrators to use their portion of the safety education fee to pay for motorcycle safety and education programs. The programs must promote motorcycle safety and education with the goal of reducing motorcycle injuries and deaths in this state. The programs may include pamphlets, advertisements, public service announcements, digital media, social media, a website, participation at grassroots motorcycle events, advocacy, and reasonable administrative expenses. Each 5-year contract between the department and each program administrator must require that each program administrator show clear collaboration during and prior to implementation of motorcycle safety and education programs which may include, but need not be limited to, collaboration regarding advertising, management of the safety education fee funds, and motorcycle safety and education programs. (f) Each of the program administrators shall file an annual report by July 31 with the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, outlining the types of events the program administrator attended, if any, and the methods selected to distribute safety awareness and education materials or to expose the public to the programs, estimating the number of people who were exposed to the program administrator’s educational efforts, and specifying clear collaboration with any other program administrator during and prior to implementation of any safety education programs. |
Many motorcyclists question why they are the only vehicle operators in Florida Required to Pay This Fee?
Why were these 3 organizations chosen to receive these funds?
Why was a new department formed to administer the funds?
I suspect that there are a lot of different answers, and it would be very interesting if the organizations involved would make statements to the motorcycling community.
Very Interesting that Quest Corporation of America (Quest) serves as the Program Administrator.
In my opinion, giving out trinkets and swag to motorcyclists who are aware it can be dangerous to ride a motorcycle because of the other vehicles on the road not paying attention to their driving.
ABATE of Florida did good passing the bill, increasing the penalties for those who are kill and injured. It’s critical the law is enforced.
FMSP should contact non-motorcycle groups and educate them about motorcycles and their rights.
If these things are handled it’s still putting the cart before the horse.
STOP THE COLLISIONS AND YOU WILL STOP THE DEATHS AND INJURIES
How do you do that. INCREASE THE PENALTIES AND ENFORCE THEM.
FMSP is relatively new and I realize that it will take time for the results to be known I am inviting them to contact me and let me know what they have accomplished and what has not worked. It takes most new ventures time to adjust and get running smoothly.
I would also like to know where the funds from the $2.50 have been spent.
A suggestion since the death and injury rate does not appear to be going down using the current procedures what is their position on classes to teach motorcyclist what to do at the scene of collisions and crashes until first responders arrive.
