New bike test. June 2008

[McVicar]

Just read this on a Kawasaki forum.

In June 2008 a radical new riding test will be introduced by the DSA which will dramatically increase test fees and training costs. As the realisation of the cost of this new test sink in would be riders will rush to get the test done before the changes and even before the new test begins training companies will have to increase prices.
The new "four part test" test will involve undergoing CBT, Theory Test, An Off Road Manoeuvres Test and finally only when all the first three parts have been passed the actual On Road Riding Test. The bit that is going to radically increase the costs of both the test itself and the training is "the off road manoeuvres" bit.

Riders taking a test will be required to undergo a sequence of off road manoeuvres prior to going out for the on road section of the test. If they do not pass this first bit of the test that’s the end, they have failed and will not go out onto the road. The manoeuvres include; pushing a bike backwards through a coned off figure eight, doing two emergency stops from two different minimum speeds and carrying out an obstacle avoidance exercise which means going through a fixed dimension slalom of cones at a specified minimum speed.

It is deemed too dangerous to undertake these manoeuvres on the road so the DSA will carry out this section of the test on an off road area. This means that the DSA will have increased costs in providing suitable locations. They are at present buying land and building premises throughout the UK to facilitate this but to date only one such "super test" centre is ready to go, at Gloucester. The DSA are committed to having 35 such centres available throughout the UK. Only 35! Which means some people will have to travel a long way just to take the test. More expense.

In order to ensure that the manoeuvres are carried out at the specified minimum speeds accurate speed measuring equipment will have to be used. Such devices are costly and will also mean an increase in fees.

Although the DSA have not yet given any clues as to the costs of the new test I would not be surprised to see costs double, the test currently costs £58.

Okay so much for the DSA’s costs. In order to train applicants training bodies like my own will have to acquire a suitably large area of land and the necessary speed measurement equipment. I do not know of any training body in this area that currently has access to a suitably area. Land is expensive to either buy or rent and it will need to be tarmacced and kept completely free of other users during training. This will dramatically increase training body’s costs which they can only cover by charging (significantly) more.

Do not forget that in order to be ready for the change over date of June 2008 training bodies will need to acquire the above facilities well before that date and will need to increase fees accordingly probably by summer/autumn 2007.

Some motorcycle rider training bodies will not be able to afford to acquire the necessary off road facilities and will go under leaving fewer training bodies. Such a decrease in competition, will doubtless help push up training prices well in advance of the change over date.

The DSA has said that they will hire out to training bodies their own off road training areas at times when they do not require them. This will off course help them to defray their own costs. However the costs training bodies incur if taking up this option will be passed on to the customer. Also the times that these facilities are available will be limited, probably to evenings and weekends, which means that running block courses in a fixed period of time as is now the norm will be difficult further increasing costs.

Not a moment too soon the DSA has begun the process of setting up a register of "Approved Post Test Trainers". The ultimate objective of which is to ensure that only trainers on that register will be permitted to sell on road training. In order to qualify for a place on this register it will be necessary to take a series of tests and pay a registration fee which costs several hundred pounds. This will put an end to free "advanced training" run by "non professional" bodies, clubs, etc. Even police run "bike safe" courses will need to be registered and will have to pass on their costs, being a part time voluntary thing for them I cannot see them being able to continue when the regulations eventually become compulsory, no date is yet set.

So for all the above reasons if you or anyone you know is thinking about any sort of further training or taking the test, beat the rush and price rises, do it now!!!

　

　

[moon]

they've done all that in france for years now (they've still got a significantly higher accident rate than in the UK by the way...) but for the off road manoevers bit they just cordon off a bit of a local municipal carpark.... none 'o this "buying premises crap".


for the minimum speed thing, a measured course marked out with cones, & a stop watch does the affair (you have to complete the circuit in les than a given time, without knocking the cones over...


why O why don't these people THINK before starting this sort of thing?

sounds remarkably like a political manouver to price out the smaller independant training centers to me.

[stanbloke]

Got to agree with this , it's something our beloved politicians vote for in the Euro parliament.
it will so called bring us in line with Europe( b#ll#cks) and by sheer coincidence make it harder to get a bike licence and make money for the DSA, coz they only people with sites big enough to train on will be, guess who ??, ok , is it coincidence that all the new approved instructor courses are now coming into play ( it does make i laarf).

ah well never mind .

[hondachris]

BASTIDS!

[iswoolley]

Any links to official DSA info? Or is this just rumour at the moment?

[Cabby]

I did the off road manouvers test thing in California in 1984......In fact that was the whole of the practical driving test....!!!!???? .

In a marked out area in a car park!

I didn't mind though.

[Steve C]

Wouldn't it be great if they added something to the four-wheels-and-above tests on being able to spot a cyclist or motorcyclist before they actually hit you - or you hit them..?

[Jenna]

Wouldn't it be great if they added something to the four-wheels-and-above tests on being able to spot a cyclist or motorcyclist before they actually hit you - or you hit them..?

umm good idea, what about a section to teach muppet bikers not to try and cut inside trucks on roundabouts and also a maths test so that when they see them funny ol round signs wiv big black numbers saying 30, 40, 70 etc they can actually read them!!!!

[Steve C]

umm good idea, what about a section to teach muppet bikers not to try and cut inside trucks on roundabouts and also a maths test so that when they see them funny ol round signs wiv big black numbers saying 30, 40, 70 etc they can actually read them!!!!

Good point about trucks on roundabouts...
and them circular number signs - for everyone please. urban and community roads as race tracks are just wearing me down
I own up to having a flexible attitude to speed on m/ways though - and I am guilty of pushing it too far sometimes. Sorry; I'll shut up now

[hondachris]

personally i think the direct access test is poo, spent nearly 2 years on a dominator, then got a CBR600F, what a bloody difference!
so pottering around on a CB500 for a week, passing your test, then going out and buying an R1 just sounds like madness to me!