• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

888-292-5352

Free New Jersey Motorcycle Accident Consultations

motorcycle accident lawyer

The Cycle Attorney

New Jersey Motorcycle Accident Attorney

  • 888-292-5352
Free Consultation
  • Motorcycle Accident Attorney
    • Motorcycle Injury Attorney
    • Lee Gaber
  • Motorcycle Law Firm
  • Motorcycle Lawyer Q&A
    • Attorney Fees
    • Accident Settlements
  • Claims
    • Medical Bills
    • Property Damage
    • Lost Wage Recovery
    • Pain and Suffering

Flirting With Disaster

You are here: Home / Ask the Cycle Attorney / Flirting With Disaster

April 24, 2015 by Lee D. Gaber, The Cycle Attorney

The Consequences of Riding Without Your Motorcycle Permit and NJ License

So, you want to be a biker. I understand these dark urges. As a New Jersey motorcycle accident lawyer with an absolute passion for the ride, I have also been drawn to the romance and rebellion of mounting up and hitting the road.

motorcycle-permit-njBut, as one of a rare breed of personal injury lawyer who specializes in motorcycle claims, there is one question we need to answer before we get our motors running too hot here:

Do you have your motorcycle permit?

NJ law requires that before you receive your motorcycle license or endorsement, you pass a basic skills and safety test to earn a learner’s permit, similar to the one you got before your driver’s license.

Over the course of my 25-year career as a motorcycle attorney in New Jersey, I have seen the consequences when bikers who haven’t made the time to secure their motorcycle licenses get into a scrape.

If that scrape involves property damage or personal injury, those consequences can be pretty severe.

According to state statutes 39:3-10, if you are caught riding without your license, you can be fined up to $500 and you can be sent to jail. In addition, these penalties are surchargeable.

That means the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission can tack an additional $100 onto any court fees and fines you incur for infractions occurring while you were riding without a valid license.

You are more likely to have a deadly crash if you are riding without a license

I hate to be the bearer of even more bad news, but here it is: several studies indicate that as a group, unlicensed bikers are much more likely than members of other groups to get into accidents.

So if you’re unlicensed, you will not only face more severe consequences if you have a collision, but you are part of a group that’s statistically more likely to get into that accident in the first place.

Plus, statistics show unlicensed drivers are 20 times more likely to die than a licensed rider would be. That’s probably because unlicensed riders tend to be a bit younger and less experienced than average and so are more likely to take risks, such as speeding on rough pavement, riding without a helmet, and so forth.

It is theorized that this is a result of missing out on the skills and practice you would get while working to earn your motorcycle permit. NJ licensing regulations are set up to ensure that every biker is equipped with the skills to avoid these types of common spills.

How to get your motorcycle permit and NJ license

Now it’s time for the good news. Getting your motorcycle license is probably easier and less time consuming than you assumed.

First let’s address the basics. Your license is good for four years; you can get one when you are as young as 17 years old.

  1. Are you younger than 18? You have to take the Motorcycle Safety Education Program Basic Rider Course.
  2. First you need to get a motorcycle permit – NJ Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) Agency offices distribute permit applications, which must be completed and returned along with your proof of identity (your current NJ driver’s license if you have one). There is a low application fee.
  3. Hit the books – Before presenting your motorcycle permit, NJ requires you to pass a basic knowledge test. Questions include rules and regulations, so study the Driver’s Manual, and Motorcycle Manual. Then, go to your local Driving Testing Center within 90 days and present your permit. In the meantime, as long as you are not riding on a toll road, have no passengers, and ride during the daytime, you’re free to hit the road.
  4. Take the test – You can schedule the test online, and you have to complete it within 20 days of the date your permit was validated. If you took the Motorcycle Safety Education Program Basic Rider Course I referred to in step one, the road test is waived. If you are required to take it, you must take it on a registered and insured bike (so bring your paperwork), and you must be accompanied by a licensed rider.
  5. Get your license – Once you’ve passed the written and road tests, you can simply go to any MVC office with your licensing fee, present your motorcycle permit, and a NJ license will be issued.

So that’s it; you can get your license in just 5 easy steps!

But what if you have an accident before you receive your license?

You still have rights, and I have built my career as a New Jersey motorcycle accident lawyer by tenaciously defending those rights.

But if you don’t have a valid license, it is going to be more difficult to demonstrate that the other party is at fault, no matter how obvious that fact may be.

The argument will be that a more experienced or responsible rider, who had received the education gained by going through the NJ motorcycle permit and licensing process, would have been better equipped to avoid the accident.

So my advice as one of New Jersey’s most experienced lawyers specializing in motorcycle accidents is very simple: get your license.

For more information on how to get your motorcycle permit, NJ license, and to get to know me before you need me, call New Jersey motorcycle accident attorney Lee D. Gaber at 1-888-292-5352 (1-888-CYCLE-LAW).

You owe nothing until we win.

Category iconAsk the Cycle Attorney,  motorcycle accident causes

Primary Sidebar

Tell Me About Your Accident

  • MM slash DD slash YYYY

new-jersey-motorcycle-lawyers
888-292-5352
888-CYCLE-LAW
Email
You will never be charged a fee for your consultation with me – No matter how long we speak or how much I work on your behalf!
If you can’t come to us, we’ll come to you!

Ask the Cycle Attorney

motorcycle injury lawyer new jersey

Will a New Motorcycle Make You Happier?

I was reading an article on that topic "Can Money Buy Happiness?", and the author suggested the obvious - that having extra disposable income makes … More about Will a New Motorcycle Make You Happier?

More Blog Articles

Join Us On

nj-motorcycle-injury nj-motorcycle-attorney

No Fee Until We Win Your Case

My Practice if focused 100% on motorcycle accident cases. I have over 27 years experience. In addition, I am a motorcycle lawyer who rides.

 

I focus my NJ Motorcycle Law practice in the counties of Camden, Burlington, Ocean, Monmouth, Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon, Warren, Morris, Newark, Sussex, Passaic, and Bergen.

Footer

Free NJ Case Review 888-292-5352

Experience Motorcycle Attorney

The Cycle Attorney has over 27 years of experience to handle your motorcycle accident or injury claim.

Informative Articles, Questions & Answers Lee's Motorcycle Blog

Law Office of Lee D. Gaber

Toll Free 888-292-5352
Fax 888-895-6538
385 Kings Highway North
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034

email

Mailing Address
1950 Butler Pike, PMB #318
Conshohocken, PA 19428

Return to top
Copyright © 2022 Lee D. Gaber, Esquire. All rights reserved | Privacy Policy | Website Design by Camrud Advertising