The UK’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has removed over 100 instructor licences and taken 18 Approved Training Bodies (ATBs) off its official register in a clampdown on rogue motorcycle instructors.
In a statement, the DVSA’s Chief Driving Examiner Mark Winn said it had been just over a year since the DVSA started doing more compliance checks on the motorcycling industry. Enforcement managers consider factors including the condition of the motorcycles being used, and whether they’re taxed and MOT’d, whether correct protective equipment is being given to trainees and in a satisfactory condition, whether training records are being completed properly and if all incidents are being reported to DVSA.
Winn said that some ATBs had been closed for selling certificates to riders without any training being undertaken. Additionally, some schools were found to be delivering compulsory basic training courses (CBTs) in less than three hours or training more riders than their site was authorised for.
“We’ve taken action against ATBs using vehicles that are not fit or legal to be on the road. In the worst cases, this action includes instant closures of some schools,” he stated. “Some were delivering training on motorcycles that have no tax or a valid MOT. In the most extreme cases, we’ve found schools using several motorcycles that have been declared as SORN, on the road.”
