"Motorcycling Safety" (Hansard, 18 April 1989)

§ Mr. Peter Bottomley

The proposals for change were warmly received. There was a general recognition that the urgent need was to make motorcycling safer. The proposal that prospective moped riders and motorcyclists should be trained before being allowed to ride on their own received particularly widespread support.

The aspects of the proposals which led to most comment, were those dealing with progression to more powerful machines (over 400cc), and the duration of provisional motorcycle licences, which we propose reducing to one year. On the former, many commentators advocated a power limit either as well as, or instead of, the 400cc limit. On the latter, there was widespread concern that one year was not long enough, although the need for a firm incentive for provisional licence holders to take training within a year at most was widely recognised. Comments were also received on the proposed changes to the car licence holders, moped and motorcycle entitlements, and on the proposed prohibition on learners carrying passengers on the road.

In the light of these comments we have reached the following conclusions:

1. Car drivers' full moped entitlement will in future be provisional. This will make the position regarding moped the same as that for motorcycles. Car drivers' provisional motorcycling entitlement will be retained.
2. Car drivers will have to undergo the same training as other prospective motorcycle and moped riders before their provisional licence entitlement comes into effect.
3. The compulsory training, to be known as "basic training", will not necessarily have to be completed on one day. In the light of representations, there will be waivers of the basic training requirement for certain offshore islands, but these will be subject to tight conditions. We are to start mandatory training in mid-1990. In the meantime, training schemes will be phased in on a voluntary basis wherever possible. Detailed discussions are now well advanced with training bodies, local authorities, motorcycle manufacturers and dealers about the content of the training courses and the arrangement for ensuring that motorcyclists can take the training with the minimum practical difficulties.
The proposal to reduce the validity of provisional licences from two years to one will be modified. A licence will be valid for one year in the first instance and will be extended for a further year if the holder has taken but failed a test before the end of the year or has booked a test which, for good reason, could not be taken.
4. The proposal to create a licence category for motorcycles in excess of 400 cc will be amended to incorporate a power limit. We favour a system under which drivers will be 107 able to progress to larger machines after two years' riding experience on a full licence. The technical definition of the power limit, and the scope of the two years' experience qualification, will be considered further in the light of consultations on the European Commission's proposal for a second directive on driver licensing which covers both points. We are still considering whether an additional test could be provided for those exceptional cases where a rider might have gained sufficient experience to ride a bigger machine in less than two years.
5. As proposed in the original package, learner riders will be banned from carrying passengers. Concern expressed in the consultation exercise about the degree to which carrying pillion passengers changes the handling characteristics of motorcycles (particularly smaller ones) far outweighed comments favouring continuation of the present arrangements.