Elio & Motorcycle License

[Jeff Porter]

I have the power point presentation that Joel Sheltrown, Vice President of Government Affairs made for Alabama House Rep. Alan Farley if someone would like to see it..Joel sent it to me last week..I am not sure if the Forum Supports Power Point but i can email it to those that would like to see it...

Treborfoot, I'd be very interested in seeing that PowerPoint file too. Same as John, if you can't upload it here please email it to golfdad40ish (AT) yahoo.com.

Thanks very much!

 

[archer5013]

I have the power point presentation that Joel Sheltrown, Vice President of Government Affairs made for Alabama House Rep. Alan Farley if someone would like to see it..Joel sent it to me last week..I am not sure if the Forum Supports Power Point but i can email it to those that would like to see it...

Treborfoot - Please send that PP presentation to me here: archer5013@gmail.com

I have posted somewhere here before some guidelines that Joel Sheltrown e-mailed to me.
It's been a bit awkward finding my way around here, so perhaps I'll re-post that if anyone wants it.

Thank you.
~ Rob

 

[John Painter]

Treborfoot - Please send that PP presentation to me here: archer5013@gmail.com

I have posted somewhere here before some guidelines that Joel Sheltrown e-mailed to me.
It's been a bit awkward finding my way around here, so perhaps I'll re-post that if anyone wants it.

Thank you.
~ Rob

Please re-post.

 

[archer5013]

Here are some information recommendations (regarding communications with our state's departments of motor vehicles to simplify "autocycle" regulations) from e-mails that Joel Sheltrown (Elio Motors VP of Governmental Affairs) provided to me regarding the motorcycle license endorsements and helmet issues.

From: "Joel Sheltrown"

Helmet Issue:

1) Requiring a helmet inside a completely enclosed vehicle will reduce the driver's ability to hear a warning horn, siren, etc., or perhaps another motorcycle attempting to pass.

2) Our vehicle is completely enclosed like all automobiles on the road today. It isn't designed for helmet use and a number of operators will find it almost impossible to deal with the reduced headroom and vision restriction while wearing a helmet.

3) Airbags have a sensitive calibration designed to deploy based on the norm. Adding a 3-4 lb. helmet adds 30-40% weight to the head and interferes with this calculation. According to safety engineers, our Safety Rating would be reduced because of helmets.

4) But MOST IMPORTANTLY, requiring helmets where occupants are also using the required 3 point safety restraints presents a situation that could result in grave consequences. Three point safety restraints required by law prevent the body from moving forward, but not the head. The weight of the helmet will pull the head violently forward in a collision. It is widely accepted in the industry that this action can easily result in severe whiplash at a minimum, paralysis or even death.

The situation we have in some states (requiring helmets under the age of 18 while using 3 point safety restraints), is the exact reason why the HANS device is compulsory in many racing sports.

From NASCAR: "A major cause of death amongst drivers during races was through violent head movements, where the body remains in place because of the seat belts but the momentum keeps the head moving forwards, causing a Basilar skull fracture resulting in serious injury or immediate death."

Certainly race car drivers reach much higher speeds than public highways, but NASCAR says: "You can get killed at speeds as slow as 30 MPH if you stop quickly enough".

Changing these requirements will avoid a possible long list of residents who will be injured unless the requirements of helmets are exempted. Based on the above information, there is no one who could conclude that requiring helmet inside Autocycles like ours is making the occupants safer. Quite the contrary, this requirement will undoubtedly contribute to serious injuries in collisions that could have otherwise been avoided with a simple change to statute, or as NY did with Commissioner Rule.

Endorsement Issue:

Recently AAMVA (American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators), after months of investigation concluded that these vehicles (autocycles) handle like an automobile and have automotive controls, therefore, the requirement of a motorcycle endorsement provides little or no benefit to the operator.

From AAMVA's website: "AAMVA strongly encourages jurisdictions to use these best practices (listed below) to promote uniformity. This will facilitate the movement of these vehicles from one jurisdiction to another."

Some of AAMVA's recommendations of "best practices" reads as follows: www.aamva.org

1) A regular passenger car license should be all that's required to operate an Autocycle (An "autocycle" is a motor vehicle with 3 wheels in contact with the ground).

2) The same plate size as motorcycles should be used (7"x4")

3) Only 4 wheel vehicles should be used for a driver's license road tests.

In addition, our vehicle is too wide and too long to make it through the road test for [motorcycle] endorsements anyway.

If the endorsement issue isn't addressed in your state, not only your residents face an unnecessary burden of an endorsement test, but people traveling in and through your state from states that don't require endorsements would face the possibility of a citation or impoundment of their vehicle, or both.

And, it should be pointed out that our vehicle isn't the only one adversely affected by current such statutes. Toyota has a 3 wheel enclosed vehicle in the prototype stage as well as a few other manufacturers which would face this same issue.

Almost all states have provided exemptions from helmet requirements.

 

[Jeff Porter]

Thanks Archer! It's probably good for many of us to read that, once every month or two. :-) It's the third time I've seen it, but it's been awhile.

I've argued that a helmet makes the Elio less safe for the driver. Above is the proof. But beyond that, there's a TON of information in your post that is very helpful. That post alone probably addresses issues in a half-dozen threads, maybe more.

 

[karl]

From: "Joel Sheltrown"

Here are some information recommendations (regarding communications with our state's departments of motor vehicles to simplify "autocycle" regulations) from e-mails that Joel Sheltrown (Elio Motors VP of Governmental Affairs) provided to me regarding the motorcycle license endorsements and helmet issues.

Helmet Issue:

1) Requiring a helmet inside a completely enclosed vehicle will reduce the driver's ability to hear a warning horn, siren, etc., or perhaps another motorcycle attempting to pass.

2) Our vehicle is completely enclosed like all automobiles on the road today. It isn't designed for helmet use and a number of operators will find it almost impossible to deal with the reduced headroom and vision restriction while wearing a helmet.

3) Airbags have a sensitive calibration designed to deploy based on the norm. Adding a 3-4 lb. helmet adds 30-40% weight to the head and interferes with this calculation. According to safety engineers, our Safety Rating would be reduced because of helmets.

4) But MOST IMPORTANTLY, requiring helmets where occupants are also using the required 3 point safety restraints presents a situation that could result in grave consequences. Three point safety restraints required by law prevent the body from moving forward, but not the head. The weight of the helmet will pull the head violently forward in a collision. It is widely accepted in the industry that this action can easily result in severe whiplash at a minimum, paralysis or even death.

The situation we have in some states (requiring helmets under the age of 18 while using 3 point safety restraints), is the exact reason why the HANS device is compulsory in many racing sports.

From NASCAR: "A major cause of death amongst drivers during races was through violent head movements, where the body remains in place because of the seat belts but the momentum keeps the head moving forwards, causing a Basilar skull fracture resulting in serious injury or immediate death."

Certainly race car drivers reach much higher speeds than public highways, but NASCAR says: "You can get killed at speeds as slow as 30 MPH if you stop quickly enough".

Changing these requirements will avoid a possible long list of residents who will be injured unless the requirements of helmets are exempted. Based on the above information, there is no one who could conclude that requiring helmet inside Autocycles like ours is making the occupants safer. Quite the contrary, this requirement will undoubtedly contribute to serious injuries in collisions that could have otherwise been avoided with a simple change to statute, or as NY did with Commissioner Rule.

Endorsement Issue:

Recently AAMVA (American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators), after months of investigation concluded that these vehicles (autocycles) handle like an automobile and have automotive controls, therefore, the requirement of a motorcycle endorsement provides little or no benefit to the operator.

From AAMVA's website: "AAMVA strongly encourages jurisdictions to use these best practices (listed below) to promote uniformity. This will facilitate the movement of these vehicles from one jurisdiction to another."

Some of AAMVA's recommendations of "best practices" reads as follows: www.aamva.org

1) A regular passenger car license should be all that's required to operate an Autocycle (An "autocycle" is a motor vehicle with 3 wheels in contact with the ground).

2) The same plate size as motorcycles should be used (7"x4")

3) Only 4 wheel vehicles should be used for a driver's license road tests.

In addition, our vehicle is too wide and too long to make it through the road test for [motorcycle] endorsements anyway.

If the endorsement issue isn't addressed in your state, not only your residents face an unnecessary burden of an endorsement test, but people traveling in and through your state from states that don't require endorsements would face the possibility of a citation or impoundment of their vehicle, or both.

And, it should be pointed out that our vehicle isn't the only one adversely affected by current such statutes. Toyota has a 3 wheel enclosed vehicle in the prototype stage as well as a few other manufacturers which would face this same issue.

Almost all states have provided exemptions from helmet requirements.

Can we make this post a sticky?

 

[archer5013]

Can we make this post a sticky?

If you're asking me, yes of course - go ahead - it is official Elio Motors information.

 

[zelio]

If you're asking me, yes of course - go ahead - it is official Elio Motors information.

I believe one of the moderators has to make it a sticky or tack it. Z

 

[karl]

I believe one of the moderators has to do make it a sticky or tack it. Z

This is the type of information we should be "ah" disseminating.

 

[zelio]

This is the type of information we should be "ah" disseminating.

I agree. In the past goofyone has been the one to tack or sticky something. He will be back from vacation next week. I just might survive that long without a goofyone fix/day. :-) Z