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2008 NEW MOTORCYCLE TEST UPDATE
The new practical motorcycle test is being introduced from October 2008 to comply with European legislation, which aims to improve the standard of road safety for motorcycle and moped riders. This user group has been identified as having a high risk of injury or death. This is particularly the case for young and inexperienced riders.
The new test involves more demanding special manoeuvres for riders. These include:
- two manoeuvres to be carried out at slow speed and include a slalom
- two manoeuvres to be carried out at higher speed, of which one manoeuvre should be in second or third gear at a speed of at least 30 km/h (18.75 mph) one manoeuvre avoiding an obstacle at a minimum speed of 50 km/h (31.25 mph)
- two braking exercises, including an emergency stop at a minimum speed of 50 km/h (31 .25 mph)
The new one test event will contain two elements.
The higher speed manoeuvres and other exercises will be tested on safe off -road sites and take about 8 minutes to complete.
The accompanied riding element of the test will follow and include general road riding I normal stops, hill and angle starts.
Candidates who have shown riding skills of a dangerously incompetent level during the off-road part of the test will not be permitted to proceed to the on-road element.
The practical moped riding test is being developed. The higher speed manoeuvres for moped riders will be slower than for motorcycles. A test for the drivers of motorcycle and side car combination is also under development.
The new test will be delivered from around 65 new practical test centre sites provided either directly by DSA or via private developers. Many of the centres will be Multi-Purpose Test Centres (MPTC) providing both motorcycle and car testing facilities. Some will provide Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) and Passenger carrying Vehicle (PCV), testing facilities. Some low use sites will only provide motorcycle testing.
The Gloucester multi- purpose test centre opened on 11 September and centres in Newport, Ipswich and Shrewsbury are under construction. We plan to have 20 sites operational and conducting the existing motorcycle and car tests by the end of March 2007.
You can get more information by visiting the DSA web site: http://www.dsa.gov.uk/MPTC
Article By Paul Colliss From the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) Despatch Magazine September 2006
Diagram shows the proposed layout of the manoeuvring area.
At the discretion of the examiner, candidates will be asked to demonstrate their ability to ride a right circuit as illustrated, and steer to the right on the avoidance exercise or a left circuit and steer to the left on the avoidance exercise.
MOTORCYCLE MANOEUVRING
1 On and off the stand
2 Wheel the machine
3 Slalom
4 Figure of eight
5 30 kph circuit ride
6 50 kph avoidance
7 Controlled stop
8 U-turn
9 Slow ride
10 30 kph circuit ride
11 50 kph emergency brake
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