Motorcycle Industry Industry Associatiom Urgently Calls For Review of Motorcycle Licence Proposals As Europe Proposes Bonfire of Directives - September 28th 2005

In light of an announcement from Europe that there are plans to reduce the excessive levels of European legislation, the MCI is urging the European Commission and the UK Government, which currently holds the Presidency of the EU, to review the motorcycle licence proposals in the proposed Third EU Driving Licence Directive. These proposals will make it much more difficult for people to take up motorcycling by raising ages of access to bikes and forcing novice riders to take two motorcycle tests - the measures do not appear to offer significant road safety gains for the UK and would not apply to new car drivers.

The European Commission is attempting to reduce its excessive bureaucratic activity by withdrawing 68 of the 183 directives which are currently under consideration. The Commission argue that it will only propose legislation in the future that will add value.

The European Commission has identified three tests:

1. Does the regulation have a potentially adverse effects on competitiveness?
2. Have impact assessments been carried out? Or is a more thorough impact assessment necessary?
3. Do substantial new scientific evidence, market developments or societal changes justify a review of the approach chosen?

In all cases, the motorcycle aspects of the 3rd Driving Licence Directive fails these tests;

4. The proposed regulations will decimate the UK and European motorcycle market and make it much more difficult for individuals to get a motorcycle licence
5. Impact assessments do not take into account the market effect and the cost and availability of a motorcycle licence for certain age groups
6. Available road safety evidence indicates that the provisions of the directive will make little difference to motorcycle safety. In addition, the road safety effects of previous European regulations were never measured

The complex proposals for motorcycling are among the most draconian ever seen and discriminate particularly badly against people who wish to take up motorcycling either for commuting purposes or for leisure and touring Based on historical experience, when second tests and punitive legislation were introduced, the MCI predicts that the number of new riders taking their test would be cut by half in the first year of the new rules being introduced in 2011, with a subsequent slashing of the motorcycle market by 50 percent over the following decade.

The economic impact of this directive will have a seriously detrimental outcome in the UK for manufacturers, dealers, trainers and other sectors in the industry. For example, Triumph Motorcycles is a significant player in the UK bike market and a large exporter to Europe of motorcycles over 650cc. Employing more than 1,000 workers it is the last remaining UK-owned volume producer of motor-vehicles.