One hundred and five riding instructors have had their licences revoked and 18 approved training bodies (ATBs) have had been shut down after a year-long crackdown by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
DVSA investigators found trainers had sold certificates without delivering training, while others issued certificates on days when their premises were closed.
The DVSA says its unannounced visits and standards checks had “improved motorcyclist safety”.
DVSA Chief Driving Examiner Mark Winn said: “The DVSA’s priority is to help everyone through a lifetime of safe driving. Too many motorcyclists are killed or injured on our roads every year, so it is vital they have the right training to help keep them safe on Britain’s roads.
“We are determined to rid the industry of rogue trainers who are not delivering the correct training or flagrantly breaking the rules, and we will take action against anyone we find to be putting lives at risk.”
Winn said there were 505 ATBs in Britain and it was vital they were teaching motorcyclists the skills they needed to ride safely on our roads. Motorcyclists are among the most vulnerable road users, with 5497 being seriously injured and 354 killed on our roads in 2018.
The DVSA is responsible for monitoring and regulating the standard of instruction given by approved training bodies, and motorcycle instructors delivering compulsory basic training (CBT) courses in the UK.
Over 600 standards checks and more than 160 compliance checks were conducted in 2019.
In addition to other checks, DVSA examiners looked at:
• The overall condition of training motorcycles, protective clothing and helmets
• MOT certificates, tax and insurance
• Documents that confirm that approved training sites are being used correctly
• Records belonging to authorised instructors, which detail their training and incident monitoring
In a blog about the enforced ATB closures, the DVSA says it is important trainers assess the ability of a rider every time they take their CBT, regardless of whether they are a total novice or on a repeat CBT. Motorcyclists are some of the most vulnerable road users, and ATBs play a vital role in making sure they have the skills to ride safely.
“We’ve also found many schools delivering short CBTs, with some courses being completed in less than three hours.
“Another key issue we’ve found is ATBs training more riders than their site is authorised for. This means the riders end up not getting enough time on all aspect of the required training syllabus. The road ride and element C (practising riding skills on-site) are areas which are often shortened or not completed in full.”
Untaxed and no MOT
The DVSA says it has also taken action against ATBs using vehicles that are not fit or legal to be on the road. In the worst cases, this action includes instant closures of some schools.
“Some were delivering training on motorcycles that have no tax or a valid MOT. In the most extreme cases, we’ve found schools using several motorcycles that have been declared as SORN, on the road.
“We’ve found some ATBs using parts of their site which have not been approved for training or training at sites that are no longer fit for purpose.
“This covers areas such as car parks and sports facilities where the site may have changed significantly since it was last authorised. In more extreme cases, we’ve found schools who claimed to have used their approved training site at a time when we know it was unusable.
“Some schools claim to have been conducting CBTs at the same time as a car boot sale or football tournament was taking place on their training site. This type of fraudulent action can’t be defended and we will continue to take firm action against ATBs who break the rules in this way.”
The blog contains tips on how ATBs can avoid unintentionally falling foul of the regulations.