The test regime isn’t that complicated if you do your research, my Son worked it out when he was 16 in his lunch break. He took and passed his 125 test a Month after he was 17, he took the theory, the Module 1 and the module 2 in a 4 week time span. He didn’t take any lessons at all, he’d been riding since he was 16. When he returns from Japan he’ll take his A2 tests as he’ll be 19 by then. Then when he’s 21 he’ll take his Full bike licence. All of the above he won’t have taken any lessons for. His only costs have been the fees and fuel. IMO the motorcycle retail industry have just been apathetic in encouraging and promoting small capacity bikes to teenagers. They’re now slowly reaping what they have sown. Majority of newer M/C riders appear to be in their late 30’s early 40’s.
I passed my full bike licence at 17 years and 9 months, I went out and bought one of the fastest bikes (new) that was available back then a 750 T150V Triumph Trident. How I survived was more by luck then ability. But Christ did I have a lot of fun!
I presume if you’re old enough you can still take a direct access course and go straight to a full licence? I watched some YouTuber who reckons you can do the lot including bike hire for under a grand.
Maybe not rocket science but undeniably a lot more complex than a car. Bike - see above paragraphs, Car - pass theory, pass practical, drive car No surprise that a lot of youngsters are put off bikes by the extra hassle.
He’s enjoyed his ‘apprenticeship’ of going through the motions to take his test. It may well be that todays youth just want it easy and as you say the no hassle approach. He was tempted to take his full licence in Japan which apparently is way easier than it is in Europe and at a much younger age. He was put off when I pointed out he couldn’t use his Japanese licence once back in the UK.
In all honesty the car tests and restrictions should be very similar to bikes. Lots of youngsters seem to get killed or seriously injured in their first year of driving. Often taking their mates into the same accidents.
No sorry, I completely disagree. People of adult age are entitled to make their own decisions. I accept that some will make the wrong ones but the vast majority won't.
Over the years that I’ve been with my partner who’s a teacher there have been what we consider a lot of fatalities of very young drivers and passengers from the school she teaches at. Hasn’t it been suggested to restrict the amount of passengers a newly qualified driver can carry?
But they are not adults...and what if they kill someone close to you? The cost to the Country for each road fatality is something like £1.5-2 million.
We shouldn’t have to legislate against stupid, it’s parents responsibility to bring kids up with a sense of respect and understanding of consequence, not to have to legislate for stupid
UK govt stats show 101 under 24 of which 2/3rds male https://www.gov.uk/government/stati...n-great-britain-younger-driver-factsheet-2022 Google suggests 2.8m drivers in the age bracket, which is 44% of all active drivers (not sure I believe that given 30+m licences) In which cases surely a higher rate is expected as they pick up almost half the driving population? Does this therefore need far more difficult and draconian controls on these drivers?
The more you legislate for stupidity the more stupid people become. I often drive past schools at drop off/ pick up time and because it’s a 20mph zone for safety parents think it’s fine to walk into the road without looking or swing the car door open without checking first.
My girlfriend’s son (29) is currently going through the process and so far, £1000 is a drop in the ocean. Yes, he’s bought his own bike and kit but paying to use the local training company’s bike and kit, we saw as money down the drain. Andy
It’s a quite common round here. There was one a couple of months back where a newly qualified driver was killed when hitting an oak tree killing his two female passengers as well. All 18 years old and three families lives destroyed. https://www.expressandstar.com/news...deaths-of-three-teenagers-in-penkridge-crash/
I think there’s an argument for the car tests and restrictions being more stringent; screw up on a bike, the likelihood is you’ll only damage yourself; screw up in a car there is far more likelihood of taking an innocent 3rd party with you.
I think he has been misinformed. It's extremely difficult, and very expensive, for a foreigner to obtain a full (unlimited cc) bike licence in Japan.
The fall in road deaths has been year and year great. Do we only accept it at zero? Therefore so we make it so difficult no one passes, bearing in mind it’s only at that point and some handle stress better than others? It’s very easy to take away proportional response. It’s the way of current society - shoes and belts at airports being a classic example. I don’t buy into it. Any loss of life is terrible but life is sometimes terrible. Adults are over 18, they make adult choices, and (should) take adult consequences. The fact that people arguing someone can’t be an adult responsible at 18 while saying a 5yr old kid can transition to another gender is mind bogglingly idiotic (not saying anyone here is, before I get the dreaded sanction or ‘I never said that’ bollocks)
