A survey of novice riders and their riding experience prior to licensing

Graduated licensing schemes (GLS) have been found to reduce the crash risk of young novice drivers, but have demonstrated less success with novice motorcycle riders. This study aimed to examine the riding experience of a sample of Australian learner riders to establish the extent and variety of their riding practice during the learner stage. Riders were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire when they attended the provisional rider training course prior to the licensing test. The majority of participants were male (81%), aged on average 33 years; worked fulltime (81%); held an unrestricted driver’s license (81%) and owned the motorcycle they rode (79%). They had held their learner license for an average of 6 months; rode 6.4 hours per week and had ridden 101 hours in total prior to attempting the rider licensing test. Although their total hours of on-road practice were comparable to learner drivers at the same stage of licensing, they had less experience in adverse or challenging road conditions. A substantial proportion had little or no experience of riding at night (36%) or in the rain (57%); in heavy traffic (22%) or central business districts (42%); or on high speed roads (51%) or winding rural roads (52%). These findings have highlighted the differences between novice riders and drivers. However, it is currently unclear whether specifying the conditions under which unsupervised riders should practice, prior to licensing, will reduce or increase their crash risk. Further research on this topic is warranted.