Portugal cancels roadworthiness tests for motorcycles
The Portuguese government has postponed introduction of regular technical checks for heavy motorcycles until January 2026, and is set to cancel the programme entirely once a set of ‘alternative measures’ have been approved.
An EU law agreed in 2013 gave Member States until 2022 to introduce periodic technical inspections (PTI) for motorcycles, but contained vague language that allowed for exemptions for the category if ‘alternative road safety measures’ were put in place. ETSC was critical of the exemption at the time.
Despite years of preparation, and substantial investment by testing centres in order to check motorcycles, the Portuguese government has now decided motorcycles will not be subject to any regular technical checks. Instead, the government is seeking approval for a set of infrastructure and other changes that it says will improve motorcycle safety – including special signage and removing speed bumps on bends.
The French government also planned to cancel the introduction of technical inspections for motorcycles, but was forced to change course by the country’s supreme court. PTI checks for motorcycles were introduced in France in October 2022.
The European Commission was expected to propose new legislation on periodic technical inspections for motor vehicles back in 2023. The plans were delayed, and are now expected later this year. In 2021, the European Parliament called for periodic technical inspections to be required for all motorcycles, with extra checks for high-mileage vehicles such as those used for food deliveries.
“Portugal is taking a backward step on motorcycle safety, that will do zero to address technical failures such as worn tyres and malfunctioning brakes, that can play a role in motorcycle crashes. But the root cause of this problem is the vague wording of the EU rules which allow for ‘alternative measures’ to replace motorcycle inspections without specifying what those measures should be.
Antonio Avenoso, Executive Director, ETSC
“In the upcoming proposal to revise these rules, we hope the European Commission will remove the exemptions and ensure that all motorcycles are tested regularly for technical failures and to check for speed-related tampering, which is a widespread problem.”