A record number of people are taking, and passing, their motorcycle test, according to the latest figures from the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

Undeterred by the spike in fuel prices and the ever-rising cost of living, 65,711 riders took their Module 2 (on-road) test between April 2021 and March 2022, more 2000 up on the previous record set in 2012/13 – 50,000 a year is a more typical figure. Of those who took their Module 2 in 2021/22, 72% passed the test to receive their full licence, slightly bettering the previous pass rate.

This impressive increase is partly down to the efforts of Driving Test Centres to catch up on the backlog of tests which built up during lockdown – in 2020/21, only 22,012 riders took their bike test, while Centres were open only to essential workers. In an effort to reduce the backlog, the DVSA has recruited extra Examiners and instituted weekend and Bank Holiday test slots.

The latest figures also revealed that women candidates still make up a minority of riders, accounting for 10.8% of those taking their Module 1, and 8.2% for Module 2. But whoever’s taking the test on two wheels, they appear to be better prepared than car drivers – 1.5 million people took the driving test in the same period but less than half of them (48.9%) got the coveted pass slip.

“Great news, the increase in female riders particularly, it may not sound like much, but compared to a couple of decades ago, that looks like real progress. Anything which breaks down barriers is a good thing. The BMF have always been very firmly in favour of biking being regarded as a gender- and ethnicity-blind activity.” said BMF Chair Jim Freeman

Written by Peter Henshaw

Top image courtesy of Bikesure