Motorists aspiring to drive a low-powered motor scooter will have to sit for a minimum number of driving lessons even though they no longer need to apply for a licence.
This was confirmed by Malta Road Safety Council executive manager Pierre Vella, in the wake of a controversial Budget measure under which car drivers can now ride scooters of up to 125cc without an additional licence.
This change, due to come into force in January, is intended to encourage more people to switch to motor scooters to help ease the traffic congestion.
However, this decision fuelled concerns, especially from parents, that by allowing untutored and inexperienced scooter drivers on the road, the authorities were risking accidents.
Speaking during yesterday’s edition of current affairs programme #TimesTalk on PBS, which debated this measure, Mr Vella said policy guidelines would be unveiled in the coming days, following talks with all major stakeholders including insurance companies.
The council is a consultative body to Transport Malta. But Mr Vella said it had not been consulted on the measure and only learnt about it from the Budget speech.
Reacting to the safety concerns, Mr Vella clarified that, apart from the fact that this measure would only apply to scooters with an engine capacity of up to 125cc, their power-to-weight ratio must not exceed 11kilowatts.
“Motorists would also have to sit for a minimum number of scooter lessons at an accredited motoring school, regardless of their driving experience,” he added. In addition, only motorcycles with automatic transmission will be permitted into the scheme.
Sources told this newspaper that applicants would be expected to sit for at least 10 hours of lessons before being given the green light to drive scooters.
“Unfortunately, many got the impression that they would be able to drive a scooter straight away, but this is not the case.”
Mr Vella also said no pillion passenger would be allowed to ride with this new category of scooter drivers.
“One has to bear in mind that driving a car and a motorcycle are two completely different things in terms of safety,” he added.
When it was pointed out to him that it would have made more sense to keep the practical session but do away with the theoretical aspect for those already licensed to drive a car, Mr Vella said this measure would help to expedite the certification process. He said that early feedback from university students was very positive.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Malta Insurance Association said it had sought clarifications from Transport Malta. While welcoming measures to alleviate traffic, he called for an orderly implementation of this scheme in line with standard European criteria.