Just one in sixteen motorists who can legally drive or ride on the roads in the UK is clued up on motorcycle laws and regulations, with over a third believing police officers aren’t legally allowed to pursue those riding a motorcycle and that front-facing speed cameras aren’t allowed to photograph or flash riders as they speed along.
The team behind a premium range of motorcycle cleaning products (www.wmbpride.bike) undertook the research as part of an ongoing study into how knowledgeable Britons are when it comes to motorists on the roads. 2,318 Britons aged 18 and over, all of whom stated that they own a license that allows them to drive or ride a vehicle on the roads, were quizzed about their motorcycle knowledge.
Initially all respondents were asked, “Do you think that you’re up-to-date on the laws around being on the road, whether in a car or on a motorcycle?” to which the majority of respondents (47%) admitted that ‘yes’ they did, but only for their chosen method of transport. Of the remaining respondents, 35% felt that ‘yes’ they were pretty clued up on both, whilst the 18% admitted that ‘no’ they probably weren’t up-to-date and could use a refresher.
All respondents were then quizzed about their knowledge of motorcycle riding laws and regulations. When provided with a list of statements, some true and some false, respondents were asked to select all those they believed to be true. The most common false statements that the majority of Britons believed to be true were revealed to be:
• Police officers can’t legally pursue a motorcycle – 37%
• Front-facing speed cameras aren’t allowed to photograph/flash motorcycle riders – 34%
• Motorcycle number plates are too small to be picked up by speed cameras – 26%
• You can ride a motorbike holding just a driving license – 21%
• Riders can’t hear surrounding noises and emergency vehicles approaching when wearing a helmet – 18%
Just 6% of all respondents were able to accurately guess all of the true statements, avoiding selecting any false statements. Of those, 63% were moped or motorcycle riders and 37% drove a car or van.
A spokesperson for WMB Logistics spoke about the findings:
“It’s interesting to see how much British motorists are aware of the law surrounding riding on the road, especially that so few were able to fully identify all of the correct statements. We can see why so many felt some of these might be true – high speed chases with a rider aren’t safe and are likely to be cancelled for the safety of the rider and others, but they’re not illegal and do take place where safe to do so. For many to think helmets are noise-cancelling though is shocking – motorists must be able to see and hear when on the road in order to be safe and conscious of what’s going on around them.”
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