“Police operation follows fears about speeding bikers” and “Police urge residents to report nuisance bikers” are fairly typical of headlines that portray motorcyclists as irresponsible hooligans tearing around Britain’s roads.
We’ve heard it all before and it’s really frustrating, because we know how hard it is to get a bike licence. For the past 35 years, riders have had to complete TWO practical tests for a full motorcycle licence in the UK. Yet you still only need to pass one practical test for a car licence. The bar is set much higher for bikers, so you’d expect a higher proportion of people to pass their car test.
In fact, the opposite is true.
Recently–released government statistics show that between January-March this year, only 45% of people managed to pass the practical car test. That’s less than half who made the grade. In the same period, more than 70% passed their bike test – 71% successfully completing module 1 (CBT) and a whopping 73% pass rate for module 2.
We’re talking big numbers here, too. Nearly 10,000 people took module 1 tests in those three months and just under 9,000 attempted module 2.
There you have it. Clear evidence that motorcycling attracts more competent road users than cars. We’ve known it all along and now we have the numbers to prove it.