The evidence doesn’t stack up, and now the vital Transport and Tourism Committee of the European Parliament has accepted the evidence and motorcycles will not be subject to an NCT style Roadworthiness Test.
On Thursday, May 30th, the crucial TRAN (Transport and Tourism) Committee in the EU Parliament voted to remove motorcycles from the Roadworthiness Testing proposals. MAG Ireland’s PRO Victor Donnelly said:
“This is a victory for common sense. We’ve said all along that there is no evidence to support the claims made by the Commission. Mechanical defects on motorcycles are simply not a significant cause of accidents. Independent studies supported this view. The RSA agreed. Last December, the European Council which represents the member states came to the same conclusion. Anyone who has objectively looked at the evidence came to the same conclusion.”
But the EU Commission would not let it go, and now the TRAN committee, a vital cog in the decision making process, has decided that the Commission does not have the evidence to back it’s claims.
Perhaps sensing defeat ahead of the vote, the Commission representatives put forward a number of compromises, including dropping the disputed 8% claim in the text.
However, despite opposition from both the Greens and the Socialists, the TRAN committee excluded motorcycles from the proposals and asked for unbiased evidence to support their inclusion.
FEMA, The Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations (of which MAG Ireland is a founder member) represents riders views in Brussels. According to our colleagues in FEMA, the amendment which was eventually adopted gave the EU Commission three years from the date the regulations come into force to properly assess the situation, and includes a stipulation that countries which have motorcycle testing (such as our next door neighbors in the UK) be compared with countries like Ireland which don’t to see whether testing can deliver the safety benefits the Commission claims for it.
What it means, in effect, is that motorcycles are off the hook. For now.
We can be certain that the EU Commission will not take this defeat lightly. We can be certain that, in time, another proposal will be brought forward. We can be certain that it will involve motorcycle casualty rates as a justification.
What we cannot be certain of is whether any such proposal will be a balanced and proportionate one based on sound evidence of necessity, or whether it will be, as this one was, nothing more than a fig leaf to hide the commercial interests of the vehicle testing lobby.
Elsewhere
FEMA – “Vital MEPs exclude motorcycles from proposed new Technical Inspection rules” – Click here
Right to Ride – “No surprises” – Click here
MAG UK – “MEPs exclude motorcycles from proposed new Technical Inspection rules” – Click here
Footnote
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MAG Ireland is constantly working on issues like the EU roadworthiness testing proposals, mandatory high visibility clothing and VAT on protective equipment as well as about a dozen other issues. We aim to bring about an end to the situation where motorcycling is constantly portrayed as a “problem” to which some magic “solution” must be found. We can only do this with the support of our members. If you’re not a member, isn’t it time you asked yourself why? |
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