Officials consider raising minimum age for motorcycle drivers

The head of the Federal Traffic Council said the minimum age for driving a 200cc motorcycle could become 18. The council has also recommended raising the age to 21 for larger motorcycles.

Maj Gen Mohammed Al Zafeen, head of the FTC, supports an increase in the minimum age for motorcyclists. Jaime Puebla / The National

ABU DHABI // The head of the Federal Traffic Council said the minimum age for riding a motorcycle could be increased from 17 to 18.

Maj Gen Mohammed Al Zafeen, who is also director of the Dubai Police traffic department, said the council had also recommended increasing the age limit to 21 for larger motorcycles. The initial proposal is for motorcycles with an engine capacity of 200cc.

The proposal, which aims to reduce the number of motorcycle accidents in the UAE, has been forwarded to the higher committee headed by Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, for approval, he said.

“Motorcyclists are vulnerable on the road and are more prone to crash injuries than car drivers,” Maj Gen Al Zafeen said on Sunday. “We don’t want to encourage youngsters aged 17 to go ahead and apply for a motorcycle licence because they are unable to apply and obtain a licence to drive a car.”

In February, the federal traffic council approved a proposal to lower the driving age from 18 to 17.

“We’re looking at it in two ways: we all know that driving a motorcycle is more dangerous than driving a car, but many young people who cannot apply for a vehicle driving licence are forced to go ahead and get a motorcycle licence,” Maj Gen Al Zafeen said. “It is much safer to drive a vehicle than a motorcycle so young people should be given an opportunity to drive a light vehicle at 17.”

Motorcycles with 1,000cc engines are heavier, faster and are much more difficult to manoeuvre than those with smaller engines, so it is necessary to increase the age limit from 17 to 21-24 years, he said.

Thomas Edelmann, founder of Road Safety UAE, welcomed the move. “Driving a motorcycle is very dangerous, not only in the UAE,” he said. “Low cc mopeds or motorcycles can be driven at a young age. But the danger increases exponentially with powerful bikes with higher cc. In many countries it has been proven very efficient to link the higher cc or more powerful bikes to a longer driving experience and to higher age.”

There were 210 accidents involving motorbikes across the country last year, in which 16 riders were killed and 236 suffered moderate to serious injuries. These were caused by motorists' errors and failure to follow police instructions, said Brig Gen Ghaith Al Zaabi, director general of traffic coordination at the Ministry of Interior.

Last month a man on a motorcycle was killed in Al Rebat Street in Dubai after colliding with a Toyota Land Cruiser. In a separate incident a vehicle and motorcycle collided in the Abu Hail area, killing the motorcyclist.

Riders are urged to observe safe driving rules and wear helmets, which can prevent serious head injuries. Motorcyclists are required by law to wear a helmet. Those who do not risk a Dh200 fine and four black points on their licence.