Queenslanders may soon find it harder to get a motorcycle licence under new rules being considered to combat a spike in road deaths. The state government is thinking about introducing a learner licence practical test and extending the period riders spend on their L-plates and restricted licences. There have been 32 motorcycle-related deaths in Queensland this year, a rise of 60 per cent over the same time last year.
Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey is seeking community feedback after launching a discussion paper and an online survey on Sunday.
"It's in the first three years of getting their licence that the greatest risk is there for motorcycle riders," he said. "We're proposing a number of measures that we'd like to hear from the Queensland community about." Car drivers who want a motorbike learner licence now do not have to sit a practical test. There is no minimum period before learners can take the practical test for a restricted licence. They can graduate from the restricted licence, which has a zero-alcohol and no-passenger requirement, to an unrestricted licence in one year.
Motorcycle Riders Association of Queensland president Chris Mearns said a "pre-learners" exam would bring Queensland into line with most other states. "At the minute what we're doing is giving people a learners' permit and saying, 'Here go and play on the road,'" he said.
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