Motorcyclist safety comes under the spotlight

The government has unveiled plans to boost motorcyclist safety.

A consultation has been launched on plans to improve basic training for motorcycle riders, including the standard of instructors.

The proposals include upgrading compulsory basic training (CBT) to improve the riding of younger learners, which has been largely unchanged for the last 25 years.

Plans under consideration include the structure and content of CBT courses, the qualification process for instructors and standards checks for instructors, which assess their ability to teach pupils.

Transport Minister Claire Perry said: “Motorcyclists account for one in every five deaths on our roads, despite representing just 1% of all traffic. This is a shocking statistic – even more so when you consider that 19% of all reported motorcycle casualties involved riders aged 19 and under.

We must do all we can to improve road safety and I hope our proposals to change the training will do that.”

All new learner motorcycle and moped riders must take CBT, which was first introduced in 1990 and has seen little change since its introduction.

Riders then have to pass their full motorcycle test within two years or they have to take CBT again.

The consultation runs until 21 April 2015.