Restricted bikes Petition (new biker experience)

Please sign my petition http://chng.it/knX2ZSnR8S. http:// http://chng.it/knX2ZSnR8S

As a new biker at 16 the law states that at the age of 16 you are allowed to drive 50cc motorbikes on the UK roads, I'm sure you are thinking, lucky 16-year-olds!? This is not the case, let me explain. For a 16-year-old to legally drive a 50cc the motorbike has to be restricted this means capping the maximum speed to 25-30mph, the common argument is that "this is to prevent 16-year-olds killing themselves" but in fact, from personal experience, I can tell you that being capped at 30mph on an already slow powered engine is more dangerous than having the maximum capability of 40-50mph. Just imagine not having the power to overtake someone jogging, to overtake road cyclists and not only that not being able to overtake cars that are driving disturbingly. Most importantly, having a restricted 50cc gives you nowhere near enough power to get yourself out of bad and dangerous situations when you need too. UK 16-year-olds often feel forced to break the law by de-restricting their 50cc motorbikes just so they can feel safe out and about. I understand the restrictions and why they are put into place but why at 30? Understandably most restrictions have to stay into place to keep young adults safe but a restriction of even 45mph would be a huge difference!

http://chng.it/knX2ZSnR8S

I might be in the minority but I think 16 year olds should be restricted to 33mph

It's a good speed for most town based roads which are increasingly becoming 20mph as is.

Also to say that a moped couldn't overtake a jogger is a little disingenuous seeing as the average jogging pace is 5/6 mph

I would sooner have a petition to only allow people over the age of 18 to have a bike!

Speaking from experience I see plenty of young riders who think they are the next Vale on the roads whizzing in and out of traffic all day long and flying about!

If they all learned to ride properly and respected the roads and speed limits then fair enough!

And who jogs at 31 mph (50 kmh) which i what the restriction is! if the bike is only doing 25 mph then it has a problem

I would sooner have a petition to only allow people over the age of 18 to have a bike!

Speaking from experience I see plenty of young riders who think they are the next Vale on the roads whizzing in and out of traffic all day long and flying about!

If they all learned to ride properly and respected the roads and speed limits then fair enough!

And who jogs at 31 mph (50 kmh) which i what the restriction is! if the bike is only doing 25 mph then it has a problem

You are right, from my point of view as an oldie it is reasonable. But when start to think when I was 16, today’s kids are angels.

Let’s limit just to 50 cc and it is enough. There would always be some extremes, but that’s life.

[mention]Stu[/mention] I thought the restriction was 33mph? Close enough I suppose

Honestly I am surprised that the government hasn't already raised the age of riding up to 17 to put it in line with driving a car.

Don’t know in UK , but we were allowed to drive up to 50 cc age of 14, no other limits. Than from Age of 16 up to 80 cc.

At least we had a chance to get some experience before 18 birthday when you could get a rocket.

The problem is, the bikes restricted at 30mph. Add a hill and weight and you are at 25. Most roads are not 20mph but in more rural areas we live but 40-50. I agree with a restriction but let’s be sensible too. 45mph would be fair.

I challenge the naysayers to do a max of 30mph on a 40 tomorrow and still think it’s fair

The problem is, the bikes restricted at 30mph. Add a hill and weight and you are at 25. Most roads are not 20mph but in more rural areas we live but 40-50. I agree with a restriction but let’s be sensible too. 45mph would be fair.

I challenge the naysayers to do a max of 30mph on a 40 tomorrow and still think it’s fair

The majority of moped riders are riding them around cities which a lot of them are 20 -30 mph limits

You are talking about the minority here and while I agree its not safe for the minority the majority are not mature enough to stick to 20 - 30 mph and fly around all over the place

Just to add I have owned and regularly made a 16mile round commute on a 50cc scoot and while it wasn't much fun it was doable.

I would even consider one today for doing my daily commute as it would be a hell of a lot cheaper to run than my car.

I used to commute on a 50cc scoot, with limits between 30mph to 60mph. I think I once did 40pmh on it on a steep downhill (difficult, this was Cambridgeshire) but apart from that it was strictly a 30mph machine. I didn't actually feel unsafe; in fact it felt a lot more safe than doing the same journey on a pushbike.

I only did it for 18 months, and then changed jobs and changed commutes, so did my test and got a full licence.

not only that not being able to overtake cars that are driving disturbingly.

If a car is disturbing you your too close, overtaking the disturbing car just puts you at greater risk as said disturbing car will be behind you now and following now that would be disturbing.

Why not a .gov petition rather than an outside sourced platform ...

And i want to meet the jogger who you can't overtake at 33mph ...

Living in a rural area I see people on small powered scooters riding on NSL rural A roads and that looks scary.

But when we lived in a city the people on scooters were always hurtling through traffic. Even at 30mph restricted they were by far the fastest thing on the roads.

There's no one size fits all solution, but I reckon it would be madness to allow novice riders to be able to exceed 30mph. They haven't had time to gain experience of traffic conditions.

I have a 50cc pedal and pop moped that i am currently restoring, and i can't wait for the day when i get to ride it on the road all of 1.5 hp of it

As aside you won't get the legislation to change, there is a FB group called Great fun on small bikes we have thousands of members all of which ride sub 250cc, but the majority are 125cc or below, there is also another forum called Moped Army and that is strictly for 50cc mopeds, instead of challenging why not embrace the culture and enjoy the experience knowing that there are others who adore these little bikes

Graded licencing is a great idea, I wish it applied to cars too. It's mental that a 17 year old can pass a test and drive a high powered vehicle later the same day.

As for standards, having gone through a CBT the thought of my eldest in just a few years being able to be let loose on the roads after just a day's training scares the bejeesus out of me a bit

Overtaking is one of the most dangerous things you'll do in any vehicle so I don't think taking away that option from a young person is a bad thing. If that makes me a boring old fuddy duddy then so be it.

Its not going to happen! .. Governments hate motorcycles and restrictions for younger riders get worse every few years.

I would consider agreeing with the change on restrictions if highway code was part of primary school curriculum similar to scandinavian countries.

With insurance statistics as high as they are currently for young riders/drivers there is no way any government will ever agree with it.

It's mental that a 17 year old can pass a test and drive a high powered vehicle later the same day.

My Wifes Younger Brother Got a 1.6 Fiesta ST at 17. Would brag to me all the time about him and his mates racing on the bypass going +100mph. He had two crashes in the first year that we actually know about, I'm betting he had other shunts and bumps he kept quiet. If he had been on a motorbike of the same power output I am absolutely confident he would be dead.

Its not going to happen! .. Governments hate motorcycles and restrictions for younger riders get worse every few years.

Should they not restrict new car drivers too then to say maximum of 1 litre and it can't be bigger than a small hatchback then why should car drivers get to pass their tests and be allowed to drive whatever they want

I honestly believe that there should be the same restrictions so to speak as with bikes

Its not going to happen! .. Governments hate motorcycles and restrictions for younger riders get worse every few years.

 

Should they not restrict new car drivers too then to say maximum of 1 litre and it can't be bigger than a small hatchback then why should car drivers get to pass their tests and be allowed to drive whatever they want

I honestly believe that there should be the same restrictions so to speak as with bikes

I think they do a similar restriction in Denmark or Sweden, where 14 year old can drive cars but are limited on engine size and max speed of 30 mph

Its not going to happen! .. Governments hate motorcycles and restrictions for younger riders get worse every few years.

 

Should they not restrict new car drivers too then to say maximum of 1 litre and it can't be bigger than a small hatchback then why should car drivers get to pass their tests and be allowed to drive whatever they want

I honestly believe that there should be the same restrictions so to speak as with bikes

 

I think they do a similar restriction in Denmark or Sweden, where 14 year old can drive cars but are limited on engine size and max speed of 30 mph

Well it makes sense, it makes no sense to allow a 17 year old kid to ride a 125cc bike but could in theory go straight out after passing test and buy a 600bhp 5L v8 car so if a new driver was restricted by the same allowance that a 17 year old rider is I think insurance would probably come down a hell of alot

Just found this article doing some googling

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/the-adorable-citroen-ami-can-be-driven-by-a-14-year-old-with-no-license/

Its not going to happen! .. Governments hate motorcycles and restrictions for younger riders get worse every few years.

 

Should they not restrict new car drivers too then to say maximum of 1 litre and it can't be bigger than a small hatchback then why should car drivers get to pass their tests and be allowed to drive whatever they want

I honestly believe that there should be the same restrictions so to speak as with bikes

I'm reasonably sure there's plenty of evidence for how young people crash. Late at night, friends in car etc. That's why some other countries restrict even the times of day and number of passengers a new driver can take.

I guess it just takes a government with the cajones to propose it and deal with the short term blowback. I honestly think given time people would be amazed there were days there weren't such restrictions.

Should they not restrict new car drivers too then to say maximum of 1 litre and it can't be bigger than a small hatchback then why should car drivers get to pass their tests and be allowed to drive whatever they want

I honestly believe that there should be the same restrictions so to speak as with bikes

 

I think they do a similar restriction in Denmark or Sweden, where 14 year old can drive cars but are limited on engine size and max speed of 30 mph

 

Well it makes sense, it makes no sense to allow a 17 year old kid to ride a 125cc bike but could in theory go straight out after passing test and buy a 600bhp 5L v8 car so if a new driver was restricted by the same allowance that a 17 year old rider is I think insurance would probably come down a hell of alot

In New Zealand my son passed his car licence at age 15(15 minutes drive around the block) then went and bought himself a Mitsubishi Galant VR4, 2498 cc DOHC 24v V6, twin-turbo. ... There is no requirement for insurance in New Zealand.

Perhaps the OP should move to NZ then he could ride a Learner Approved Motorcycle?...

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/driver-licences/getting-a-licence/licences-by-vehicle-type/motorcycles/lams/lams-approved-and-prohibited-motorcycles/

I think they do a similar restriction in Denmark or Sweden, where 14 year old can drive cars but are limited on engine size and max speed of 30 mph

 

Well it makes sense, it makes no sense to allow a 17 year old kid to ride a 125cc bike but could in theory go straight out after passing test and buy a 600bhp 5L v8 car so if a new driver was restricted by the same allowance that a 17 year old rider is I think insurance would probably come down a hell of alot

 

In New Zealand my son passed his car licence at age 15(15 minutes drive around the block) then went and bought himself a Mitsubishi Galant VR4, 2498 cc DOHC 24v V6, twin-turbo. ... There is no requirement for insurance in New Zealand.

that's just madness, I understand that some arent a problem but 85% of new drivers still can't really drive so I do think that it should be a blanket standard that if you are a new driver you are not allowed to get anything over 1L