Moped riders need to pass theory test, say Constables
Tuesday 20th September 2011, 2:58PM BST.
More riders are injured on mopeds than on other form of transport
DRIVERS and riders could soon have to take a theory test before they are allowed on the road, following a rise in teenage bike accidents.
Injury rates for mopeds are higher than for any other traffic in Jersey and it is believed that a lack of basic road rule knowledge is to blame.
In a proposition put to the States by the Constables’ Committee, it has been suggested that all Islanders, whether learning to ride or drive, must pass a theory test before they are issued with a provisional licence which allows them on the road.
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There are more moped accidents because there is a large number of mopeds on the roads not because they need a theory test.
Do these constables know what you have to do to ride in Jersey? Have they done it themselves?
If they did then they would know that you cant just get your provisional and ride a bike.
There is something called a CBT (part theory) and you have to try and pass your test within 6 months and before you have a test you have to have a theory. So why would a theory test before you get a provisional make any sense? Oh yeah MONEY.
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Provisional license is giving the right to anybody to take a vehicle on the road without having a clue of the basic rules.
Ridiculous, and typical Jersey again.
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#1 “Corruption JAC” totally misses the point. The real benefit of the change is to enable the theory test to be taken before the provisional is applied for – in fact up to a year before the candidate can legally ride/drive. This means that they are more likely to complete the practical test during the life of their first provisional – this SAVES them money! Duh! At present, many many youngsters need 2 provisionals or more to pass the full test, including theory.
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Kermit #2
The UK have a similar provisional license system so it is not “typical Jersey again”.
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so it would not have anything to do with the drivers of tin boxes , who didnt see the biker then?
young people or anyone for that matter needs transport to get to that job, if they are lucky enough to have one to go to.
they need help , not more red tape , time past you could have a provisional for years for a bike / scooter , and only got a full licence when you wanted to take a passenger.
how ever i do agree with the cbt test, not many can learn to ride a moorbike in a feild or the woods these days , too many moaners these days .
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No.
The reason there are more moped accidents is because it’s predominantly 16 year olds who ride them. This is their first taste of freedom after having spent a lifetime on a bicycle. With the sense of invincibility present in youth, coupled with inexperience and overconfidence, you’ll see scooters slipstreaming maybe 3ft from the back of a bus.
I’ve ridden behind scooters tailgating cars and it’s crazy. I’ll be on my superbike with top brakes and tyres and they’ll be following at a third the safe distance of my bike on a cheap and nasty chinese moped.
A theory test isn’t going to fix this. The same way the theory test for cars doesn’t prevent 17 year olds from taking out their car and wrapping it around a tree within a month of passing their test. All moped riders need the CBT where they’ll have been taught the importance of leaving space, but they’re ‘young and dumb’ and choose to ignore this.
Short of increasing the minimum age for riding/driving which will cause an outcry, this will always be an unfortunate part of life. It’s why insurance for the young is high.
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How about introducing a cc limit for cars similar to the one for bikes.
I.E. 17 year old can drive up to 1200cc
19 year old can drive up to 1600cc
21 year old can drive all other
This will stop young tearaways with more money than sense ( and experience) from endangering other road users.
With a proficiency test at each level.
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Loco bang on, young testosterone filled kids on mopeds is a recipe for disaster. Why do parents put the most valuable thing they have on the most dangerous thing on the road I’ll never know, still they make good organ donors.
Riding inches from my rear bumper, if I stood on the anchors they would be on the back seat before they knew I was braking. No amount of training will prevent this, why don’t the police pull them and get them to a parish hall enquiry followed by a fine. 3 hours waiting at the parish hall to be bollocked and fined by the centenier taught me that speeding was a bad idea.
The bike test would teach them how to ride although I suspect it would be too difficult for many to pass and it still wouldn’t override the testosterone and lack of common sense.
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Like in a 3rd world country…the rule is there are no rules.
I had no clue people here can drive 50ccm motorbikes without passing any kind of test.
Not in the so much blamed Eastern-Europe,no mme. You need to pass the same theory test as one who is going for a category “B” license ( for cars ) and a practical test too…THEN you get your provisional category “A” license. stupid thing though, with my cat.”B” I am not allowed to drive a moped, but still: we are not that stupid to let anyone roam on the roads without any idea what they are doing…
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#6.Loco
Could not agree with you more. At the grand old age of 40 I decided to take to two wheels on the road. I had competed off road for many years, so had the bike control, and after driving for 23 years had sufficient traffic skills. The CBT was compiled of both theory within the classroom and the practical in an enclosed environment, and finally on the open road if proficient enough.
The instructors were very good, and covered all aspects of signage, road junctions, rights of way so on and so forth, correct positioning of the motorcycle on the road, this was concluded with a written test, which had to be passed before moving onto the practical. Again all aspects of the importance of the correct riding equipment and clothing were made perfectly clear. General tuition on the motor cycle controls and functions were taught, and also general daily and weekly maintenance, finally numerous traffic ‘situations’ were then practiced, and only candidates whom had satisfied the instructors were able to go out on the open road under instruction. At the end of the ‘ride’ some candidates still did not gain a pass, and were therefore unable to ride on the road until resitting the CBT.
The point of the lengthy synopsis above, is to show that everyone whom completes the CBT are armed with the correct knowledge and skills to ride correctly and sensibly, and it is the individuals choice NOT to use these skills.
Within just five days of completing my CBV I witnessed a fellow candidate whom attended on the same day as myself, tail gating an HGV, and wearing just a T shirt, pair of shorts and trainers.
A further theory test will not change the out look of the young and or change their testorone levels.
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How about cyclists taking theory tests about consideration to other road users and not going through red lights, up no entries and on pavements.
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I agree with Mature Rider, and as I am a Mature Biker myself , with over 30 years of riding full time under my gortex, I feel I am well qualified to comment.
I think 50cc mopeds have their place when the weather is ok, but for winter riding I think they are pretty dangerous, with the wheels being so small they slip and slide all over the place, as well as getting blown about because they are so light. Also the youngsters who ride them typically wring their necks trying to get ever last bit of power out of them, which is not the way to ride a bike !
At a young age, and indeed when I started on my 50cc at 16, you are not aware of everything going on around you as what you are when you have had a few years of experience, so it is no wonder there are statistically more accidents in the younger age group. There are many things to learn, road conditions , braking distances, co- ordination,shifting weight , road position and so on.The only way to gain this is through the right tuition at first, and then by years of riding in all conditions , and wearing the right gear.
If these young people get driving a car after a few years experience on a motorcycle, they will be a much better driver than those who have never ridden one.
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Having made my feelings on this known to my parish hall I admit that like most [probably due to the poor quality of reporting] I found that I had got hold of the wrong end of the stick. This is NOT an additional test but the same old theory test you have to sit now before applying to take the actual driving test. They explained that given the time it takes to apply and then sit the theory test (which currently must be passed before even booking your driving test) and then booking and sitting the actual driving test most provisional licences have expired. This change makes it a lot easier as now you don’t have to be of driving age to take this test so can still get your provisional on your birthday.
Thinking about it, it makes perfect sense that a person should have a basic knowledge of the highway code BEFORE they drive through a zebra crossing at 40MPH.
The moral of the story is that if all the regulars on this blog were to do a bit of homework BEFORE their daily moan and base their grievance on actual facts as opposed conspiracy they might find that Jersey life is not that bad after all.
And apologies to the Constables.
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There may of course be another reason for the higher number of collisions and that is that the States of Jersey decided to make the CBT certificate valid indefinately, where as before it was only valid for 3 years after which time, had you not passed the practical test, another CBT course would be required. This of course means that you could have done your CBT in 97, when it was first introduced in Jersey and having never ridden a bike since, can now simply jump on a bike today with no further training despite traffic increasing over the past 14 years. Doesn’t sound like a very sensible thing to do but when have the powers that be ever listened to reason or common sense?
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