Is bike licensing broken?
RiDE INVESTIGATES
Some say our licence structure is complicated, expensive and outdated. Is it true – and how can it be fixed?
Pictures Bauer Archive Words Ben Purvis
Current laws mean scores of under-trained riders on the road. This needs to change
GETTING A BIKE licence in the UK is a fraught exercise. Baffling rules and myriad licence levels make it a long-winded process punctuated with hefty training and test costs, and statistics suggest no safety benefit.
Since January 2013 we’ve toiled under the structure imposed by the EU’s Third Driving Licence Directive (3DLD) and despite Brexit the rules remain in place today. EU countries are preparing to introduce a Fourth Driving Licence Directive; it won’t apply to the UK but brings an opportunity to implement a better system.
The clearest indication of the current regime’s failure is seen in accident statistics. Whether the idea was to reduce motorcycle crashes by adding more training and testing or, through a cynical lens, to cut accidents by making bikes harder to access, it hasn’t worked. Over nearly 50 years motorcycle deaths in the UK have generally been reducing, with the notable exception being the decade from 1993-2003 when an increase was roughly proportional to a boom in biking popularity that saw licensed bikes on the road increase from around 700,000 to 1.2 million.
Since 2004, the number of licensed bikes has remained around 1.2-1.3 million. It’s measured at the end of December each year, so the summer peaks will be higher. Against that background, motorcycle fatalities dropped every year from 2006-12, at which point they were more than half 2003’s level (328 deaths in 2012, 693 in 2003).
But since 2013, when 3DLD came into force, there’s been no further improvement. In 2013 there were 331 deaths; in 2024, 343 riders lost their lives on our roads.
“‘We believe it should be simpler and progressive’”
Testing, including a two-part off-the-road module, needs a revamp
Correlation isn’t causation, but the parallel between the halt in safety improvements and the introduction of 3DLD is remarkable. From 2006-12 deaths dropped every year, but in eight of the 12 years since, fatalities have been higher than in 2012.
How can stricter, more extensive testing lead to a worse outcome? By making it harder to climb the bike licence ladder, riders are disincentivised from stepping up to the next rung. Vast numbers of CBTs are issued – around 180,000 per year – allowing new riders on the road on 125s with L-plates, but only a fraction of them go on to take the training and tests to get a full licence. The hurdles of the current regime mean fewer riders are prepared to battle through it.
The landscape since 2013 has changed, too. Mopeds are a dying breed – only three riders took an ‘AM’ moped test in 2023 – and e-scooters and power assisted bicycles are booming, with no licence requirement, confusion over legality and little enforcement of existing laws on their use.
Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) chief executive Tony Campbell said: “The current regime is unnecessarily complex, costly, and deters new riders – particularly younger people – from choosing powered two-wheelers.
“We believe it should be simpler, progressive, and proportionate to risk, making access to motorcycling more approachable without compromising safety.
“With the UK no longer bound by EU directives, we have a real opportunity to design a fit-for-purpose framework that supports sustainable transport and encourages more people to ride responsibly.”
The National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) has proposed similar changes, calling for a system that’s simpler, more accessible and cheaper, with less repetition of testing, while maintaining the country’s high standards of education and encouraging post-test training.
It would like a regime that more reflects international norms set out by the Vienna Convention, the benchmark for licensing regulations across the world.
NMC executive director Craig Carey-Clinch said: “It’s time for action on this. Department for Transport ministers told us last winter they were ‘considering’ a review, but have since been silent on the issue.
“The safety stats speak for themselves – the regime is not fit for purpose, and the longer the Government delay the review, the less confidence riders have in the present system.”
16-year-olds could be let loose on 125s with the correct training
WHAT CHANGES SHOULD HAPPEN?
When it comes to testing and training for bigger bikes, both the MCIA and NMC have extensive proposals but agree on several key elements for a potential future licence structure, including:
A more extensive ‘CBT Plus’ for riders who want to extend their CBT beyond two years. Two years after taking the CBT Plus, a final assessment from an instructor would upgrade to a full AM (moped) or A1 125cc licence.
Revisions to rules for 16-year-olds to give them access to 15bhp ‘A1’ bikes once they have the correct training.
Changes to ‘A2’ (sub-47bhp bikes) rules, allowing progressive access with two years’ experience from 19 to 18. The NMC would like ‘A2’ to be replaced with a new ‘A-restricted’ licence, with a 47bhp limit, available from the age of 18.
Direct access to a full ‘A’ licence available from the age of 21 (currently 24).
Licence upgrades via additional training and assessments carried out by certified instructors rather than repeated tests by DVSA examiners.
A return to a single test from the current off road ‘module 1’ and on-road ‘module-2’ format.