The Government is to introduce a package of tough new safety measures aimed at cutting the alarming number of motorcycle deaths on the road.Carl O'Brien reports
The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, will shortly announce plans to raise the minimum age for holding a provisional motorcycle licence from 16 to 17, The Irish Times has learned.
It is understood that Mr Brennan wanted to raise the age to 18, but could not do so because of an EU directive.
The new measures will also include the introduction of compulsory training courses for motorcycle drivers and making L-plates mandatory for provisional motorbike licence-holders.
The Irish motorcycle fatality rate, with around one death a week, is the highest in Europe, and 2½ times higher than in Britain.
Official figures also show that around 70 per cent of the 47,000 motorcyclists on the road have never completed a driving test.
Hibernian, the main insurance company offering cover to motorcyclists, has threatened to stop insuring new drivers because of the spiralling rate of accidents.
A spokesman for Mr Brennan said the new measures, aimed at saving around 30 lives a year, will be introduced on a rolling basis before the end of the year.
The move to introduce L-plates for motorcyclists with provisional licences follows figures which show that 90 per cent of injuries involving pillion passengers take place on motorcycles driven by provisional licence-holders, who are not allowed to carry passengers.
The L-plates would make the licence-holders identifiable and allow gardaí to implement the law more effectively, said the spokesman.
The new training courses will be mandatory for new drivers and are likely to be carried out in a number of officially approved training centres run by insurance companies, local authorities and the Irish Rider Training Association.
The number of motorcycle fatalities has increased sharply in recent years, due largely to a rise in the number of young people buying motorbikes.
Hibernian insurance, which has around 75 per cent of the motorcycle insurance market, says it has lost around €12 million on the sector over the last four years.
Mr Brian Dooley of Hibernian said the firm would offer reductions in premiums of up to 15 per cent for motorcyclists who complete the training courses, and a 35 per cent reduction for those who secured a full licence.