Motorcycle sales for 2014 were up 10% compared to 2013, with an increase every month throughout the year, according to the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA).
101,277 new motorcycles, scooters and mopeds were registered during 2014, compared to 91,908 in 2013. Of this year’s new registrations more than 48,000 were smaller commuter-sized machines.
There is also an upward trend for the number of powered two wheelers (PTWs) being used on the road. Government statistics show the number of PTWs licensed for the road has increased to 1,326,500 – the highest figure registered for five years, and nearly double the number on the road in 1994.
Steve Kenward, CEO of the MCIA, said: “This news contains two stories; one about a return to consumer confidence and the other regarding congestion.
“With sales of smaller bikes making up nearly half of all new sales and the rise in the total number of PTWs on the road, it is clear that increasing numbers of people are swapping to two wheels as a means of avoiding daily traffic jams.
“We predict an increasing number of people will switch to PTWs as a means of avoiding the misery of commuting by car and expect this to become a long term trend tracking the projected rise in congestion.”
The MCIA and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) recently launched a policy document designed to encourage greater use of motorcycles on UK roads, which the partners say “should improve road safety as a result”.
Duncan:
Isn’t that what I wanted in my last paragraph? Otherwise as I have said with merely a large increase in two wheeled volumes of traffic, be they motorcycle or cycle, one will have a corresponding increase in casualties.
CBT will not be enough for that purpose. Neither will a 4 session course in order to make someone a so called Advanced Rider.
What we want is a Competent rider or a Defensive rider. Both are a possibility. One who can identify the dangers and appreciate them for what they are, before they happen and take whatever steps are necessary to alleviate them.
As you say, Not to be surprised by whatever another road user does and therefore No ensuing accident.
Bob Craven Lancs Space is Safe Campaigner…
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Come on Bob, there is some good thinking here! The challenge is indeed to modify the training so that the increase in riders does not lead to a commensurate increase in casualties. The more brain power that is diverted to the task of linking training to the crash rate the more likely it is that the training will be successful.
Duncan MacKillop. No surprise – No accident.
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2013 was not a good year for new m/c registrations partly due to weather and then there were radical changes in the driving licence systems. A lot of young people were put off by those changes, many decided to give it a miss until later ie this last year.
As regards the increases wanted by the Met Police and the MCIA, they are likely to find that as motorcycle/scooter usage increase there will inevitably be more incidents/accidents/collision. Let’s face it we are encouraging more and more car drivers onto two wheels and whilst that would apply to the majority of drivers/riders there has to be a totally different mind set in order to compete or commute safely in a dangerous environment. As cyclists are currently finding out.
Because the police and the manufacturers are involved together in promoting these increases perhaps they could form an alliance in order to provide specific training that would benefit back to or newbie bikers, otherwise it will be chaos. Will it happen…. I think not.
Bob craven Lancs….Space is safe….Campaigner.
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