European Parliament rapporteur Jens Gieseke has published his draft report on the European Commission’s proposal to revise the Roadworthiness Package, which includes Periodical Technical Inspections (PTI). Gieseke wants all motorcycles over 50 cc to be tested, no exceptions.

The full amendment reads: “Testing the roadworthiness of motorcycles has clear benefits for road safety. This has also been demonstrated by the number of Member States that already include motorcycles in their roadworthiness testing systems. Therefore, the testing of motorcycles with an engine capacity above 50 cc should be mandatory. Member States should set appropriate intervals as well as areas, items and appropriate methods of testing. As a result, the current possibility of an opt-out for motorcycles with an engine capacity above 125 cc is no longer appropriate, and periodic testing should be mandatory for such vehicles without exception.”

As a justification for this, the draft report says: “Requiring regular technical inspections for motor scooters with an engine capacity above 50 cc is essential for road safety and environmental protection. These vehicles reach higher speeds and are more powerful than smaller mopeds, which increases the risk of accidents if brakes, lights, tyres, or other safety-critical components are not properly maintained. Regular inspections will help protect riders, other road users, and the environment alike.”

The underlying European Commission proposal (which the rapporteur’s draft report seeks to amend) broadens the scope of the roadworthiness regime to include motorcycles equipped with internal combustion engines and electrically powered motorcycles by removing the option for Member States to exclude motorcycles from the PTI scope. The Commissions proposal is to mandate periodic technical inspections for motorcycles above 125 cc; rapporteur Gieseke takes it even further by proposing to mandate PTI for all bikes above 50 cc.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) may now table amendments to the draft report, so that the responsible parliamentary committee – in this case the TRAN Committee (Committee on Transport and Tourism) – can consider and vote on them before finalising the committee’s position. The purpose of this stage is to allow MEPs to shape the Parliament’s position on the Commission proposal by modifying the rapporteur’s text.

The rapporteur’s position is the opposite of the position the Council of the EU took early December 20205. European transport ministers set the Council’s position, and one of the main elements of that position is that the current possibility to exclude motorcycles from the scope of tests is maintained. (Click here to read our article on the Council’s position).

Over the past months, the European riders’ advocacy groups FEMA and FIM have submitted formal position papers and technical briefs to the European Parliament, the Council, and the European Commission. These documents highlight a consistent finding across EU and national studies: technical defects cause only a very small fraction of motorcycle accidents. In the past months, European riders’ representatives were in Brussels regularly, speaking to several Members of the European Parliament and to Permanent Representations of a number of Member States. Rather than oppose safety efforts outright, both organisations continue to promote targeted, evidence-based measures that actually save lives, such as focused inspections only where national data show a risk, improved training and awareness for all road users, and infrastructure design and maintenance that consider motorcyclists’ needs. European motorcyclists stress that they remain committed to constructive dialogue with EU institutions. “We support effective road safety policies,” FEMA’s Wim Taal said, “but Europe must avoid symbolic measures that burden riders without improving safety outcomes.” The two organisations will continue to coordinate their efforts in Brussels and across Europe as the Roadworthiness Package moves through the European legislative process.

Source: EP

Top photograph courtesy of SMC

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