FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION: 10th February 2005

Industry and users express strong concerns on motorcycle driving licences to MEPs

The Motorcycle Industry in Europe (ACEM), together with FEMA (Federation of European Motorcyclists Federations) and FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme), is today reacting to its serious concerns about the outcome of the European Parliament Transport Committee proposals (voted on January 19th) relating to the draft driving licence directive.

The draft Directive proposed by the Commission in 2003 was originally intended to achieve greater harmonisation and improve road safety. However, the amendments voted on January 19th make the original draft more restrictive, bureaucratic and more confusing for citizens without addressing the main causes of accidents.

The Motorcycle Community supports the basic principle of the step-up approach as currently enshrined in legislation. In particular we support the current access to A2 motorcycles at 18 years old, initially proposed by the EC, with derogation to 17 years old if required by Member States. This approach recognises that road experience is a more important parameter for safety than just rider age. Improved motorcycle road safety should also be pursued by addressing the primary causes of accidents such as car driver behaviour and road infrastructure, both highlighted in the EU co-funded study MAIDS and other research.

Jacques Compagne, Secretary General of ACEM says: The Transport Committee argues that the changes proposed are for road safety reasons. However, the Motorcycle Community challenges this view and strongly feels that road safety will not be enhanced by the current proposals. The real effect of these proposals will be to make motorcycling less accessible and have significant negative effects on individual mobility and urban congestion. These proposals will seriously damage the whole motorcycle sector, which provides more than 200 000 jobs and will endanger the existence of well established motorcycle companies. We all support improved road safety, but these proposals tackle the issue in an entirely inappropriate way.

In view of the vote in the next plenary session of the European Parliament, the Motorcycle Community (ACEM, FEMA and FIM) strongly urge the European institutions to define a more balanced and realistic solution. Future EU legislation should address the real safety issues, and at the same time take into account the social benefits of motorcycling both in terms of mobility and economic contribution.

Should, however, the positions of the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament not meet these expectations and be significantly distant from the initial proposal of the European Commission, the Motorcycle Community would advocate maintaining the legislation regarding access to powered two-wheelers as presently in force under the second Driving Licence directive (2000/56/EC).

End

Note to Editors

1. The relevant Draft EU Directive is COM(2003) 621 final - 2003/0252 (COD)
More info on the EC draft Directive
2. The proposals from the Transport Committee in European Parliament
3. There are 30 Million motorcyclists in Europe
4. The European industry turns over 10 Billion per annum and employs more than 200,000 people. There are approximately 141 700 motorcycle businesses in Europe, making the motorcycle sector a significant European economic generator. ACEM (Association des Constructeurs Européens de Motocycles) is the professional association of the Motorcycle Industry in Europe and represents 12 manufacturers and 12 associations at European level. The product range goes from 50cc town vehicles, up to motorcycles with 1000cc and more. ACEM Members are responsible for 85% of the total production and up to 90% of the total market in Europe.
5. A1 = light motorcycles (<125Cm3 or power < 11kW with power/weight < 0,1kW/kg)
A2 = motorcycles (power < 35kW with power/weight < 0,2 kW/kg and not derived from a vehicle with more than double its power
A = motorcycles

6. Concerns expressed to MEPs by the Motorcycle Community are:

PTWs access ages and equivalence
• Allowing Member States freedom to increase the access ages to the several categories of powered two wheeler (PTW including mopeds, scooter ands motorcycles) up to even 26 years of age
- is inconsistent with the aim of harmonisation recommended by the initial draft directive;
- is a step backwards in social mobility from the existing situation;
- creates for the citizen an unjustified discrimination across the EU;
- will not have any effect on motorcycle safety, as PTW accidents are mainly dependent of other road users;
- will negatively affect the whole sector as this flexibility will generate permanently unstable markets.
• Restricting the B licence (regular cars)/ AM (mopeds, max. design speed 45km/h, <50 cm3 or power<4kW) equivalence is unjustified with regards to the characteristics of these easy to use basic mobility vehicles.

Training and testing
• Focusing more on training rather than testing looks attractive in theory but it lacks an acceptable definition and fails to recognise the present situation across the EU (as underlined by the EU co-financed project “Rider Training in Europe”). The proposal is premature and will create unacceptable financial barriers to motorcycling without guaranteeing any improvement in motorcycle safety:
- in many EU Member States or regions, structured training is simply not available, as the small demand for PTW licenses locally does not make the provision of training commercially viable.
- in many of the situations where structured training is available, it has suffered from a series of weaknesses, by being unaffordable, inaccessible, and showing huge disparities in quality and instructor qualifications;
- Member States in the EU 25 still have to come to terms with the difficult and expensive implementation of the motorcycle test, as already defined in Annex II of the second Driving Licence directive (2000/56/EC)
- lack of precise content will open the door to unlimited and unjustified requirements and most probably result in even less harmonisation throughout the EU;

Test vehicles
• Setting both minimum engine capacity and power requirements for the various test vehicle categories will significantly restricts the offer of test vehicles and has no added safety value. Only the minimum power requirements as described in the EC proposal are sufficient to define test vehicle categories.

7. Rider Training in Europe – The views and the Needs of the Riders – FEM 1997;project co-financed by the European Commission (EC/DG VII);
8. More info on the Motorcycle Community position;
9. MAIDS : Motorcycle Accident In-Depth Study.

For more information, pictures or interviews opportunities, please contact Aline Delhaye on Tel: +32 2 235 07 03 Mobile: +32 475 789 143, email a.delhaye*@acembike.org (without star).

Aline Delhaye
Communication Manager
a.delhaye*@acembike.org (without star)
Direct line +32 2 235 07 03
Mobile +32 475 789 143
Association des Constructeurs Européens de Motocycles
1 avenue de la Joyeuse Entrée – B 1040 Bruxelles
Tél. +32 2 230 97 32 – Fax +32 2 230 16 83
R.G.E.I.E. Bruxelles : 139