Italy is first in Europe for the number of deaths and injuries from accidents involving motorbikes, according to a new report. Over the past ten years, the report said, the number of deaths among motorbike riders has jumped 31.9%, over the previous ten years, while the number of people who suffered injuries leapt 46.9%.
Among the reasons for this dramatic increase, the report pointed out, was the growing number of people who ride motorcycles, scooters and mopeds. The report was released by the Italian Automobile Club (ACI) and the Censis research center.
According to ACI president Francesco Lucchesi, the introduction in Italy of driving license penalty points and special motorbike licenses has not had the positive effect which had been hoped. In fact, the number of motorbike accident victims climbed from 1,198 in 1996 to 1,552 in 2004 and the trend has not changed since.
In its examination into the causes behind the increase in accidents, the report cited the fact that a penalty point system does not exist for moped and a significant percentage of motorbike riders take undue risks. This was especially true for automobile drivers when they decide to ride on two wheels, the report said.
The special license for mopeds was also criticised as being inadequate because three out of four were earned in a class room instead of a proper driving school and only 12 hours were spent on teaching road safety and the driving code.
The report pointed out that the main reason why young people preferred to get their moped licenses at school was because of the high price of driving schools, where the average price of a course has jumped 39% in the past two years.
According to the ACI report, not only should more time be spent learning the laws but also receiving professional instruction on the practical aspects of motorbike riding.
