7.3 Motorcycles, Mopeds, Low-Speed Vehicles, Trains & Animals

7.3 Motorcycles, Mopeds, Low-Speed Vehicles, Trains & Animals

Quick Answer: A motorist's failure to detect and recognize motorcycles is the most common cause of motorcycle crashes. Mopeds may not exceed 25 mph and carry the same rights and duties as cars. Motorized scooters (pocket bikes, mini choppers) are illegal on any public road or sidewalk except designated municipal or county property. Approaching a horse, slow to 25 mph or less — and stop if the rider raises a hand. Trains always have the right of way.

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Motorcycles

The single most important sentence in this part of the manual is a statement about you, not about riders: a motorist's failure to detect and recognize motorcycles in traffic is the most common cause of motorcycle crashes. A motorcycle presents a narrow frontal profile, hides easily behind an A-pillar, and is systematically misjudged for both distance and closing speed.

What the manual asks of every driver:

• Check blind spots twice before changing lanes or making turns.
• Watch for motorcycles at intersections and when making a left turn — the classic fatal crash is a car turning left across an approaching rider.
• Always signal your intentions.
• Anticipate a rider's manoeuvre to avoid obstructions that are trivial to a car or truck but dangerous to a motorcycle: potholes, gravel, wet leaves, expansion joints, debris.
• Always leave plenty of room between your vehicle and a motorcycle.
• Never follow a motorcycle too closely, because motorcycles can brake within shorter distances than other types of vehicles. Your three-second cushion behind a car may not be enough behind a bike.
• When passed by a motorcycle, maintain your speed and position. Give the rider room to complete the pass and resume proper lane position.

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Mopeds, Motorized Scooters, Low-Speed Vehicles

Mopeds (motorized bicycles). Low-speed, two-wheeled vehicles with pedals, intended for limited use on public roadways. Moped drivers:

• May not exceed 25 mph.
• Must follow all traffic signs and signals.
• Must drive on the right side of the road with the flow of traffic.
• Have the same rights and responsibilities as other motor vehicle operators.

A moped licence is available at age 15 for unlicensed motorists; anyone holding a Class A, B, C, D, or E licence does not need one. Mopeds are smaller than motorcycles and are correspondingly harder to see.

Motorized scooters (N.J.S.A. 39:4-14.12 through 39:4-14.15). A motorized scooter is a miniature motor vehicle — pocket bikes, sport scooters, super pocket bikes, mini choppers, scooters, mini motorcycles, mini scooters, and motorized skateboards. The rules are strict:

• It is illegal to drive them on any public road or sidewalk, except on designated municipal or county property.
• They must be registered in the municipality or county where the owner resides, and must be insured.
• No one under the age of 12 — or the age set by the local municipality or county — may operate one.
• Motorists must still be especially alert for them, because they are extremely hard to see.

Low-speed vehicles (LSVs) (N.J.S.A. 39:4-31.1 through 39:4-31.5). A four-wheeled vehicle with an attainable speed of more than 20 mph but no more than 25 mph on a paved surface. An LSV cannot be powered by gas or diesel fuel and must comply with federal safety standards. Be alert when they are present — they too are difficult to see, and their top speed is far below the flow of most traffic.

Snowmobiles, ATVs and dirt bikes (N.J.S.A. 39:3C-1 through 39:3C-31). It is illegal for these vehicles to ride on public roadways with other vehicles, but they are permitted to cross certain roadways when safety permits. Operators must maintain proof of insurance and always display the vehicle's registration. Expect them where trails intersect rural roads.

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Trains

Trains can travel on any track, in either direction, at any time. The manual's grade-crossing rules are physics, not etiquette:

• The yellow, circular RR advance warning sign and white RXR pavement markings mean a crossing is ahead.
• Never race a train to a crossing.
• Trains create optical illusions. The train you see is closer and moving faster than you think.
• Trains cannot stop quickly. A freight train at 55 mph can take a mile or more to stop.
• Trains always have the right of way. Motorists must yield to approaching trains.
• Do not get boxed in on the tracks. Only proceed when there is room on the far side to get completely across without stopping. Remember that trains are three or more feet wider than the tracks on both sides.
• If your vehicle stalls on the tracks: get out immediately and move quickly away from the vehicle and tracks at a 45-degree angle in the direction from which the train is coming. That angle keeps you clear of debris thrown forward by the impact. Then call the number on the Emergency Notification sign at the crossing, or 911.
• Do not pass other vehicles within 100 feet of a railroad crossing.

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Animals, Horseback Riders and Horse-Drawn Vehicles

Wild and loose animals. Animals often dart onto roads, and trying to avoid them often causes crashes — by swerving, you may hit something else or be struck from behind. The manual's defence is prevention: watch for animals on both sides of the road ahead and be prepared for unexpected movement, then slow down and stay in your lane rather than swerving.

Horseback riders and horse-drawn vehicles have the same rights and responsibilities as motor vehicle drivers on public roadways (N.J.S.A. 39:4-25.1). Two statutory duties fall on the motorist:

1. When approaching or passing a person riding or driving a horse-drawn vehicle, reduce speed to 25 mph or less and proceed with caution.
2. On a signal from the rider or driver — a raised hand or other signal — including one travelling in the opposite direction, the motorist must stop the vehicle and remain stationary for as long as it takes the horse to pass (N.J.S.A. 39:4-72).

Horse-drawn vehicles and riders may not use certain limited-access highways, must ride with traffic keeping as far right as possible, and must display a light on the front of the horse-drawn vehicle 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise, whenever visibility is 500 feet or less, and in fog, mist, smoke, or other conditions that reduce visibility (N.J.S.A. 39:4-25) — the same triggers as the headlight law for cars.

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Key Exam Traps & Common Misconceptions

• Trap 1: Motorcycles stop shorter, not longer. That is why tailgating a bike is more dangerous than tailgating a car.
• Trap 2: Mopeds are capped at 25 mph; LSVs top out at 25 mph too — but a motorized scooter is banned from public roads entirely. Three similar-sounding vehicles, three different rules.
• Trap 3: Horses get 25 mph and a mandatory stop on signal, including from a rider coming the other way.
• Trap 4: Run toward the train, at 45 degrees. Counter-intuitive but correct — it moves you away from the debris path.