No one likes red tape. Period.
We want a reasonable degree of safety, sure enough. Riders, no matter what we ride, operate with a reasonable expectation that the bikes we ride were manufactured to a reasonable standard, and aren't going to randomly and unexpectedly have, say, a catastrophic engine failure while we're riding them.
At the same time, we both understand and accept the fact that we're traveling on machines that won't protect us the same way crumple zones and airbags would on a modern car if we happen to crash. And we also take measures to mitigate potential injuries, to the degree that we feel is right and necessary. Helmets, armored jackets/pants/gloves, good boots, and so on.
But time and again, legislative attempts to make motorcycle technical inspections mandatory have failed in a number of European Union countries, and it's not difficult to understand why. The first explanation is simple: These nations have broad and engaged ridership, with motorcyclist associations that have been ready and willing to fight back and draw attention to these issues.
Take Portugal, which is the most recent EU nation to toss mandatory motorcycle technical inspection legislation in the trash, at a parliamentary meeting earlier in December.
According to Portugal's Grupo Acção Motociclista (GAM), “The decision to impose a mandatory technical inspection for motorcycles in Portugal, on 1 January 2025 is definitely buried. The wait was long, but it is here: Portugal will not introduce mandatory periodical technical inspection for motorcycles. After more than 12 years of fight, to bring awareness to the reality of the facts surrounding the subject, we finally got the Portuguese government on our side: mandatory periodical technical inspection for motorcycles was repealed yesterday by the Portuguese parliamentary majority.”
From across the ocean, on first glance, I believe congratulations to Portugal are in order. But as it turns out, there's even more potentially good news to report than just that. Let me explain.
It's Totally True; Representation Matters
Dig a little deeper into the story, and you'll find something interesting. Motorcycle ridership in Portugal has apparently been on the rise over the past couple of decades. According to Portuguese news outlet Observador, as recently as 15 years ago, Portugal had around 120,000 licensed motorcyclists. Fast-forward to today, and it now has nearly 500,000. That's an impressive increase for a decade and a half.
Even more crucially, as it turns out, there are quite a few active motorcyclists now seated in the Portuguese Parliament. Since they ride, they're able to not only understand motorcyclist concerns, but they're also able to speak to and for them.
That's why there is currently a package of pro-motorcyclist measures under consideration, and one that goes deeper than just axing compulsory motorcycle technical inspection. From things like reducing traffic taxes for motorcycles—I mean, why should they be charged the same as cars anywhere; It simply doesn't make sense—to not putting speed humps in curves; these are the kinds of real, concrete legislative changes that could drastically improve conditions for riders in the nation.
There's talk about expanded new rider training, covering rather important everyday things, such as rain-riding skills. You know, stuff that could actually improve rider safety, rather than "mandatory technical inspections" that likely don't do much more than enrich the garages that land the lucrative contracts to carry out the work.
Another bill raises the possibility of lane filtering for motorcycles and mopeds, during periods of heavy traffic. Speeds can't be greater than 30 kilometers per hour (that's about 18.6 mph), but bringing all these issues to the table only serves to underscore why it's so important to have people in positions of power who truly represent their constituents. Because more of the people in this legislative session ride, regardless of any political party affiliation, they get the issues that riders face on the road; it's that simple.
So, congratulations to Portugal, but I think it's something for even those of us who don't live there to think about, as well. It's an object lesson that can also apply elsewhere. Happy riding.
