Tiered Licensing: Should It Be Adopted in the U.S.?

by Dirck Edge

In the United States, without any experience whatsoever, you can walk into a motorcycle dealership and buy a Hayabusa, a ZX-12, a GSX-R1000, or any other incredibly powerful motorcycle. Clearly, these are not beginner bikes. Nevertheless, occasionally, a pure beginner will purchase a machine like this, and the results are too often disastrous.

Some other countries, such as England, have a tiered licensing system. This requires beginner riders to purchase machines with restricted horsepower levels. Should something like this be adopted in the United States? The land of the free and the home of the brave? If so, how should it work?

Before you go off on a negative tangent, think about the possibility that government bureaucrats might limit horsepower levels for everyone if too many beginners kill themselves on bikes they shouldn't be riding. Conceivably, a tiered licensing system could help keep the most powerful machines available for the experienced riders, rather than leading to a government ban of powerful motorcycles for everyone.

We're not taking a stand on this issue, we're just throwing the issue out to our readers for feedback. Tell us what you think.



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