Concerns raised over illegal riders
Added on Wednesday, March 30th, 2011 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments
Concerns raised over illegal riders
Motorcycling safety campaigners RideSafe BackSafe have raised “serious concerns” about the number of riders who are riding their bikes and scooters illegally, having failed to renew their CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) certificate.
A CBT certificate, which allows a person to ride a moped or motorcycle with learner plates, expires after two years unless the holder has passed both parts of the test to acquire their full motorcycling licence, or moved on to driving a car instead. After this time, the CBT must be renewed.
Riders who fail to renew their CBT risk having their motorcycle seized and having their motorcycle insurance rendered invalid.
Recent figures issued by Transport Statistics show that the number of people riding mopeds and motorcycles has increased dramatically and the motorcycle population as a whole now travels in excess of five billion kilometres per year.
Although moped and motorcycle riders only make up about one percent of all road traffic, they still account for about 20% of all collision casualties and 16 to 24 year old riders are at greatest risk.
“If you do nothing, your CBT expires after two years and by continuing to ride on public highways you are committing a road traffic offence,” said Rob Winn, Road Safety Adviser for RideSafe BackSafe. “This would also mean that your moped or motorcycle insurance is no longer valid, which is another offence that can result in your bike being seized by the Police and possibly crushed. What makes this all the more alarming is the fact that your CBT is a basic, ‘entry level’ introduction to riding on the roads and really should be seen as a short-term stepping stone to other training and safer travel.
“With the cost of fuel and insurance going up dramatically, many people are living on a tighter budget and this may cause some learner riders to simply not bother renewing or ‘moving on’ from a CBT certificate, some may even just forget. RideSafe BackSafe is keen to highlight the fact that no reminder is issued when the two year time limit has expired.
“Casualty statistics also tell us that riders who do take additional training are less likely to be involved in road traffic collisions, so we are encouraging inexperienced riders in particular to develop their riding skills, as well as remaining road legal”.
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