Ride your moped from the age of 15

News that surely won’t please the thousands of teenagers who, like you and me back then, were eager to turn 14 so they could get their moped license and ride thousands of laps around their town on a motorbike.

Well, that idea has just vanished in one fell swoop from the minds of all those 13-year-olds, because since today, 1 September, a reform of the General Driver Regulation has come into force, establishing that the minimum age to ride mopeds (under 50cc engine capacity) is 15 years old.

But that’s not all, because, as usually happens, I don’t know whether for safety or fundraising reasons, the moped license as we knew it until now is transformed into a new driving permit called AM, a permit that, to obtain it, our young people must pass, in addition to the relevant theory exam, a driving test on a closed track, all of it after going through the cashier, of course.

Opposing this reform, just like the thousands of young people, all the manufacturers and suppliers of this type of mopeds and motorcycles have tried hard to delay or eliminate this controversial reform, as you can see, without much effect.

Manufacturers and sellers who will now see sales of this type of motorcycle plummet, because many young people will postpone getting their license so that, once they turn 16, they can opt for a 125 cc motorcycle, which in my opinion is much more attractive.

To be honest, in my view the manufacturers are quite right, since if we look at the accident figures, which I suppose is the basis for this reform, the accident rate among 14 to 16-year-olds is very low and the mortality practically nil.

However, as the manufacturers argue, many young people will prefer to wait another year to buy a 125 cc bike as their first motorcycle, a motorcycle much more powerful and dangerous for inexperienced hands. Now, why do you lean towards which idea?

Source | EuropaPress