A French white paper, published by CSIAM (the International Chamber of Automobile and Motorcycle Trade Unions) offers a summary of the significant progress that the use of motorcycles and other powered two-wheelers makes, both in terms of relieving road traffic congestion and reducing polluting emissions and on savings that can be made by the community and road users themselves. It also offers an industrial perspective on the problems of noise and road safety as it is understood in the motorcycle sector. Below we offer a compilation of the most important issues (click here to read the full white paper). Travel time Taking into account the results of a FEMA mobility test, which establishes that the average time saving between the car and

C-ITS systems (Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems) that warn a motorcyclist of an upcoming danger only work if the rider is interpreting the warning correctly and reacts accordingly. So far however, there is little knowledge about how long a rider reaction towards a warning takes. Additionally, the question arises whether reactions from the passenger car domain can be applied to powered two-wheelers. Two whitepapers describe two dynamic motorcycle riding simulator studies by the Connected Motorcycle Consortium (CMC), which investigated motorcycle riders’ reaction times towards different types of warnings. Such knowledge can bridge the gap between results from the accidentology side to the use case and test case specific strategies. The latter focus on the decision on how an application’s display/ alert principle

The main organisations representing both the riders and the motorcycle industry (ACEM, FEMA, FIM) jointly celebrate the Day of Europe by launching a manifesto addressed to European leaders, ahead of the European elections. We call on the European Institutions to actively incorporate motorcycling into the policy priorities for the 2024-2029 political mandate that will kick off with the coming European elections on 5-9 June. Our sector positively contributes to the European economy, social inclusion and territorial cohesion with around €21.4 billion to European GDP and 389.000 jobs. Only in Europe, there are almost 40 million motorcycles, mopeds, tricycles and quadricycles to support a clean, efficient, practical and enjoyable alternative for moving people and goods in cities and rural areas. Motorcycling fully aligns with

Some motorcyclists like to attach a trailer to their bike. In the development of the current driving license directive the fact that sometimes motorcycles pull trailers was not taken into account (unlike with cars). The European Parliament now agreed on new, draft rules on EU driving licences and finally fixed an oversight FEMA has been pointing out for years: the possibility to legally ride a motorcycle with a trailer behind it. The proposal that is now adopted by the European Parliament (amendment 59), says the following: 'Without prejudice to the provisions of type-approval rules for the vehicles concerned, motor vehicles in categories referred to in points (a) and (b) may be combined with a trailer with a maximum authorised mass not exceeding half

Today the European Parliament adopted new, draft rules on EU driving licences. No mandatory medical test will be required when a driving licence is being issued and renewed. The introduction of probation period for inexperienced drivers of at least two years. 18-year-olds can obtain a licence to drive a truck or a bus with up to 16 passengers. Introduction of a digital driving licence, available on a mobile phone. Focus should be risk awareness training. No higher minimum age for the A1 licence. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) want drivers to be better prepared for real driving situations and be aware of the risks, in particular for vulnerable road users. Therefore driving in snow and slippery conditions, safe phone use

Today the plenary session of the European Parliament debated the proposals on the revision of EU driving licence rules. The most controversial issue turned out to be the proposed mandatory medical test. In the original proposal by the European Commission, Member States may require "an examination applying the minimum standards of physical and mental fitness for driving" when a driving licence has to be renewed; rapporteur Karima Delli MEP, member of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, wants to change this into a mandatory medical test every fifteen years that must be implemented by the Member States. Karima Delli also proposes a probationary period of at least two years for novice drivers. During that period drivers should be subjected to stricter

FEMA's newly elected president Odd Terje Dovik had a top meeting with FIM president Jorge Viegas. On the agenda: stronger cooperation on motorcycling issues. The FIM Commissions met in Lyon this weekend, providing an occasion for the new FEMA president, Odd Terje Dovik, to meet with his FIM counterpart, Jorge Viegas, as well as the FIM Deputy director Damiano Zamana. Jesper Christensen, FIM Director of the Commission for Mobility and FEMA board member, was also present. The meeting was following up the presentation given by Damiano at the recent FEMA Annual General Meeting (AGM). At the FEMA AGM, Damiano expressed a strong wish to formalize and further develop the ties between FEMA and FIM, to the benefit of both organisations. In Lyon, this

The members of FEMA elected a new President and three new members of the Board. FEMA's Annual General Meeting took place in the Netherlands on Saturday 10 February. The newly elected president Odd Terje Dovik from motorcyclists' organisation NMCU Norway took over from Anna Zee who was president since 2015. Odd Terje thanked Anna for her many years of service, both in FEMA and in the British motorcyclists' organisation BMF. The new members of the Board are Eric Maldiney (FFMC France), Jari Kielinen (SMOTO Finland) and Michael Noonan (IMA Ireland). Board members Jesper Christensen (SMC Sweden) and Steinmar Gunnarsson (BLS Iceland) were re-elected. FEMA also said goodbye to Board member Lene Michelsen and to FEMA treasurer Jim Freeman. Austrian motorcyclists' organisation Bikers' Voice -

Motorcycles, scooters and electric bicycles with speed exceeding 25 km/h will be included in the scope of the UN Regulation No. 155 on cyber security and cyber security management. Cybersecurity, within the context of road vehicles, is the protection of automotive electronic systems, communication networks, control algorithms, software, users, and underlying data from malicious attacks, damage, unauthorized access, or manipulation. The UNECE Cybersecurity regulation requires automotive manufacturers to establish cybersecurity measures to prevent cyber threats. This includes creating a management system, risk assessments, and continuous monitoring against potential vulnerabilities and threats. The UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) Working Party on Automated/Autonomous and Connected Vehicles decided to include motorcycles, scooters and electric bicycles with speed exceeding 25 km/h in the scope

The European Union has decided to extend the suspension of its rebalancing tariffs on US products, such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In 2018, the then president Trump signed two proclamations to impose additional duties of 10% and 25% respectively on certain imports of aluminium and steel products into the United States, introducing tariffs on €6.4 billion of European steel and aluminium exports. These measures followed investigations carried out by the US Department of Commerce, which concluded that imports of these products threatened US national security and recommended action to restrict imports. In response, the European Union introduced rebalancing tariffs on US exports to the EU of a value of €2.8 billion; this included import tariffs for US products such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles, making

2023 in numbers Newsletter subscribers > 10,075 Facebook followers > 78,788 Instagram followers > 985 LinkedIn followers > 1,132 Twitter (X) followers > 1,632 Member organisations > 20 Posted manufacturers’ recalls > 36 If you don't want to miss any FEMA news, follow us on your favourite social media channel. We reached the end of 2023, time to have a quick look at the highlights of the past year. And what a year it was for FEMA! Defending riders' rights seems to be more important than ever, now that we see more and more policies that are not exactly motorcyclist friendly. Driving licence proposals seem to want to make it as unattractive as possible to get your A licence, road authorities keep implementing infrastructure measures that disregard our needs and

Proposals to establish different speed limits for cars and motorcycles ánd differentiated speed limits for holders of A1, A2 and A motorcycle licences were rejected during a vote in the Transport and Tourism Committee of the European Parliament. On Thursday 7 December 2023, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on the Transport and Tourism Committee adopted their position on the revision of EU driving licence rules by 22 votes in favour, 21 against and two abstentions. MEPs say they “want to make sure the new rules contribute to road safety, in addition to the EU’s green and digital transitions”. Some of the proposed measures: Mandatory health checks on issuance and renewal of driving licence Minimum two year probationary period for novice