Skip this online course, and you could lose the legal right to ride on public roads starting May 1.
On the surface, it just looks like another requirement. For the price of a burger, riders must prove they understand the rules. Or lose road access entirely. The new rule points to a broader shift in how road safety is enforced by the law.
What is this new mandated online educational course?
How a small online course has come with significantly large consequences
The new legislation focuses on electric mobility devices in particular.
This includes the newly minted electric bicycles, scooters, and a few other mobility devices. Lawmakers in this state introduced the new bill to improve safety on public road networks.
The course seems simple enough. But not taking it could lead to you losing your access to US roads.
With the younger generation expressing a proclivity for e-bikes, they will be the first to take the course. At just $10, it is easily accessible for even the tightest budgets.
But what happens if you skip the online course altogether?
Drivers now need to be formally educated to use the roads in this state
Traditionally, to get onto the road simply required passing a driving test.
This law introduces a far different measure for drivers to deal with. It targets the actual education of driving on the road. With the focus being on the litany of electric vehicles that populate the roads.
Some states have opted to force young drivers to wait slightly longer for their licenses.
But not taking this online course could see young ones losing out. The new law outlines several new definitions for electric mobility vehicles. It separates these vehicles into distinct categories based on design and power output.
It also lays a blueprint for age-related rules regarding the operation of these vehicles.
Introducing new laws regarding the roads can reduce traffic collisions. But this one aims to make riding e-bikes safer for all. Only one state in the union has enforced taking this $10 online course.
And it turns out to be one of the most iconic and beautiful states in the union.
Utah House Bill 381 recently passed muster with lawmakers and will be enforced from May 1st. So if you live in Utah, get ready to take an online course. If you want to legally ride e-bikes on the roads, that is.
Access to Utah’s roads now depends on your digital compliance with the law
Imagine a teenager getting an e-bike for school. Without taking this online course, they could not legally ride it.
Not taking the course could affect your access to Utah’s roads. Driving on the road has become precarious at best. And considering the new autonomous taxis that are popular around the nation, safety is profoundly important.
Under normal circumstances, traffic law enforcement takes place after a violation.
This law shifts the narrative towards a more pre-approved reality. It aims to prevent a problem before it happens. This could lead to thousands having no legal right to ride e-bikes in Utah.
Not completing this $10 online course could see your right to drive revoked
If any drivers refuse to take this $10 course, the implications will be severe, to say the least.
The right to drive is a freedom that most of us enjoy and hold dear to our hearts. The freedom of the open road may be taken away, however. If a younger person wishes to ride an e-bike, they are mandated to take this course.
No online certificate means no legal right to use e-bikes in Utah.
Other states have considered banning students from using e-bikes on campus. Will this same reality emerge in Utah? Time will tell as the law comes into effect in May.