A. There is created in the state treasury the "motorcycle training fund". The fund shall be invested in accordance with the provisions of Section 6-10-10 NMSA 1978, and all income earned on the fund shall be credited to the fund.

B. The motorcycle training fund shall be used to institute and provide a statewide system of motorcycle training and driver awareness and education in the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs for first-time license applicants and to provide for the purchase of necessary equipment and provide for such support services as are necessary for the establishment and maintenance of the system.

C. First-time applicants for a motorcycle license or an endorsement on their New Mexico driver's license may be required to complete a motorcycle driver education program as prescribed by the rules and regulations of the bureau.

D. The bureau shall adopt rules and regulations as prescribed in the State Rules Act [Chapter 14, Article 4 NMSA 1978] for the administration of a statewide motorcycle driver education program to be administered by the bureau. The program shall include, but not be limited to:

(1) helmet use and effectiveness;

(2) motorcycle accident and fatality statistics;

(3) drug and alcohol abuse information, laws and statistics;

(4) street and highway safe driving habits; and

(5) defensive driving.

E. The bureau shall cooperate with the state department of public education to distribute information through the public school systems.

F. All money in the motorcycle training fund is appropriated to the bureau for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of Subsection B of this section; provided that at the end of the seventy-second fiscal year and all subsequent fiscal years, all money in the motorcycle training fund in excess of the amount budgeted for the purposes delineated in Subsection B of this section shall revert to the state road fund.

History: Laws 1983, ch. 266, § 1; 1989, ch. 164, § 3; 1993, ch. 68, § 53.

The 1993 amendment, effective July 1, 1993, substituted "driver education" for "training" in Subsection C and in the introductory paragraph of Subsection D, "bureau" for "state highway and transportation department" in four places throughout the section, "administered by the bureau" for "administered through the field offices of the motor vehicle division" at the end of the first sentence of Subsection D, and "state department of public education" for "department of education" in Subsection E, and deleted "to help reduce or eliminate duplication of services and programs and" preceding "to distribute" in Subsection E.

The 1989 amendment, effective June 16, 1989, substituted "state highway and transportation department" for "transportation department" throughout the section and "state road fund" for "general fund" at the end of Subsection F.