The NZTA is introducing an optional competency-based training and assessment (CBTA) licensing regime for motorcyclists from 1 March 2014.
Transport Agency Road Safety Director Ernst Zollner said CBTA would provide a new training and assessment option for people getting their motorcycle licence where, instead of taking a practical test at each stage of their licence, they can choose to have their riding skills assessed by an approved CBTA assessor.
“The more training and practical riding experience a motorcyclist gets, the more prepared they’re likely to be for potentially unsafe or challenging riding scenarios, which is where CBTA has the potential to improve safety for riders.”
CBTA uses the knowledge and experience of industry based assessors who have been approved by the Transport Agency to train and assess motorcyclists riding skills. The assessments are designed to ensure motorcyclists are competent in a prescribed range of riding skills, which are important to keep them and other road users safe when riding on our roads.
The CBTA system will also introduce a competency-based time reduction, meaning a motorcyclist can progress through the system faster if they can demonstrate the necessary skills against a prescribed range of riding competencies.
Motorcyclists will be able to choose between the existing driver licensing testing regime and the new competency-based training and assessment courses, or a combination of the two, to gain their restricted and/or full motorcycle licence.
CBTA is an initiative of the government’s Safer Journeys strategy, which identifies motorcycling safety as a priority area for improvement.
“Riding a motorcycle requires a different set of skills and a higher level of vehicle control than driving a car, and when a motorcycle crashes, riders and passengers are much more likely to be seriously injured.
“Through Safer Journeys we’re working to make our roads and roadsides safer for motorcyclists, but we also need to improve the skills of riders to reduce the unacceptable number of deaths and serious injuries suffered by motorcyclists on our roads every year,” Mr Zollner said.
More information about CBTA and what it involves can be found at www.nzta.govt.nz/cbta
Darren is a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists and the NZ Motoring Writers' Guild
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