Bike Safety And The Law

By law, once you have a bike license and road-legal bike, all you need to be legal is a helmet. Yet is this safe enough? Should the law be changed to enforce more safety clothing?

According to the DSA website, all the safety gear you need to get out on the road is a helmet, while visors, gloves, boots and other protective clothing is only recommended.



During training, both on a CBT course and a full license course, instructors are expected to explain the importance of other safety equipment while the actual purchasing of it it left up to your own disgression.

Common Sense

The majority of serious bikers take the safety talks into consideration, and wear at least gloves and a jacket, as well as boots and padded trousers on longer rides.

You would be unlikely to see a biker come past you on the motorway wearing no more than shorts and a T-shirt to go with the helmet. You might see it on slow roads, through villages or country lanes in the summer.

It's common sense; every biker who's come off knows what it feels like, and every biker that hasn't can imagine what it would be like.

New Riders

For new riders however; those on 'L' plates and on nothing bigger than a 125cc engine, you will often see out in basic clothing: and especially in warmer weather.

For riders who have only taken the CBT in order to get out and about before they can drive a car: they often don't want to spend more than they need to and will buy only the helmet as a safety measure.

In these instances, safety is not the most important issue. Should the law be changed so that new learners are expected to buy extra safety clothing?

The downside

Introducing such a law would of course mean that the cost of starting out learning to ride would rise, as learners would be expected to buy gloves or a jacket, or both.

Such a requirement may stop would-be serious riders from starting the process. Although many young riders will eventually give up riding in favour of driving, there is a number that would 'go the whole distance'.

It is these new riders who might be dissuaded from learning to ride so early on. Yet if you have a passion for something, surely nothing will stop you from getting there eventually?

At what point are riders considered able to make their own decision regarding clothing? Riding 2 miles through a village or very slow traffic is different to 100 miles on motorways and A roads.

Imposing such a regulation could suggest that riders aren't mature or skilled enough to know what's the safest option, thereby mollycoddling bikers.

The upside

The most important arguement for introducing stricter safety regulations for new riders is that it would result in a safer riders, and could also lead to a reduction in serious injuries for bikers.

The cost could also put off those that don't plan to ride safely once legal on the road. Those who do decide to take the test, and eventually go on the

There are many arguements both for and against stricter regulations on protective clothing. Surely the possibility of safer riders is an issue worth considering?

Getting There...The Basics

Sitting in the kitchen in Halls last night, conversation turned to biking and one of my flatmates asked how easy and what it cost to get up and running on a bike.

After trying to explain the various tests and rules he still had a confused look on his face. So I thought I'd go back to the basics and use my experience as an example.

Provisional License

First thing is to get a provisional license, which is the first step for both car and bike tests. You can apply online through the DVLA, and it costs £50. If you want to start out on a moped you can get a license from 16.

As I had already passed my car test when I started learning to ride I didn't need a provisional license as a full car license can also be used.

Compulsory Basic Training

The next stage is the Compulsory Basic Training, or CBT as it's usually called. This is a one day course (but can be longer if you don't finish) and covers mopeds up to 50cc, 125cc mopeds and 125cc motorbikes.

A CBT is not a test and it's up to the disgression of the instructor if you pass or not. It means you can ride on the road with a learner badge on front and back.

Doing a CBT on a 50cc moped is all you can do if you're under 17. Once you've completed it you can ride a moped up to 50cc, and only on a Learner plate. Once you hit 17, you'll have to do it again on a 125cc motorbike if you want to get a full license.

A CBT costs around £100 including bike and equipment (helmet etc loan) and lasts two years. If you haven't passed the next stage in the 2 years you have to retake the CBT.

My first CBT ran out before I had a chance to take the next stage, and I had to retake the course. It meant I had all my own equipment and my own bike though, so it only cost around £80.

Theory Test

This is pretty straightforward; you need to pass both parts of the Theory test - the questions and the new hazard perception part.

The questions come first and are different for cars and bikes. Even if you've got a car license you still have to do the Theory Test again for bikes. You get 57 minutes and you have to get 43 out of 50 to pass.

The hazard perception test is currently 14 clips of road senarios. You have to get 44 out of 75 to pass. The whole test costs £30 and you'll get told if you passed or not straight after.

Standard Access Test

If you're under 21, have your CBT and theory test, you can do your standard access test. You can just book the test and do it yourself, but the chances of passing are much higher if you get training off an instructor first.

Training is usually between 3 and 5 days (depending on your experience) and you get the test on the last day. It can cost anything between £300 to £600 depending on how long you need, and if you need to borrow a bike and gear.

Once you've passed you can ride any bike as long as it's restricted to 25kw. This restriction lasts for 2 years; after that you can ride any bike without the restriction and you have a full license!

Direct Access Test

Finally; if you are over 21 you can do the Direct Access test. This is the same as the standard access test except its done on bigger bikes (usually 500cc's). Again it'll cost around £300 to £600 for the training.

If you reach 21 before your standard accest restriction is over, you can also take this test if you don't want to wait for the 2 years are up.

I took the standard access test and although I'm over 21 I've decided to wait till the 2 years are up instead of doing another test. After all it's just more money and as a student that's something I'm lacking!

New Motorbike Test Mess Up

For over a year now, potential motorcylists have been warned that a new test would be in place by the end of September. Yet the date has come and gone and nothing is ready.

Although I've ridden for nearly 3 years, I took my Standard Access test just 5 months ago, with the warning ringing in my ears and in the hope of beating the clock. It worked; I now have a restricted license and Fylix the GS500F sitting outside my halls.

Yet the warning seems to have been all for nothing. Motorbike students have been asked to pay £80 to include the new test, but from the first day the DVLA had to admit it wasn't ready.

The test consists of a series of manouvres, such as a slalom and various breaking exercises, designed to help new riders learn to avoid potential accidents when out on the road.

It is supposed to "improve the standard of road safety for motorcycle and moped riders" and is aimed at complying with EU legislation. In theory, it's a good idea but it seems putting it into practice has been a headache.

Even while I was taking my test, there were mutterings among my instructors about the problems with the sites themselves. It seemed there weren't enough sites; the nearest site would involve a 3 hour road trip, and the BBC picked up on the problems.

For those who missed the deadline and shelled out the full £80, there'll be no refund. We're told thats the cost of the old test version now, though it seems it's more to avoid an administration nightmare.

In fact the DSA have announced that the whole thing is going to be pushed back to March 2009, so they can create more sites. So when you break it down, we've had a year to warn us that the cost of passing your test is going up.

Now it's just a case of wait and see if it'll go ahead next March: but I can say for certain I won't be holding my breath.