Motorcycle Insurance

The Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations (FEMA) has accused the European Commission of changing its stance on daytime running lighting (DRL).

FEMA originally welcomed the Commission's decision to allow a six-month hiatus before making DRL compulsory, granting time for analyses and criticisms of the proposed legislation to be heard.

Yet the Federation has been alarmed by comments made by Wolfgang Schneider, a European Commission representative at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, which it felt indicated a predisposition towards the implementation of DRL.

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Secretary general Aline Delhaye warned: "The DRL debate is monopolised by road safety and lighting experts focusing on car drivers' safety and sales results.

"However, all of them completely overlook the safety-first principle for other road user groups. The number of nonsenses I have heard in Geneva regarding motorcycling was simply amazing."

What particularly irked FEMA was Mr Schneider's statement that some negative effects of DRL for motorcyclists are inevitable, when the European Commission had previously claimed that it would not show favouritism towards one road-user group over another.

The Federation feels that compelling all vehicles to have their lights on at all times will make motorbikes less conspicuous on the road, while also encouraging motorists to take less responsibility for looking out for more vulnerable road-users when driving.

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