Since 2021, drivers aged 16 and over have been able to ride 125cc motorcycles, capable of travelling at around 90 to 115 kilometres per hour. During the two years since the change was implemented, almost twice the number of young motorcyclists have had an accident, leading opponents to call for a reversal in the law.
More than 120 young people were seriously injured in a motorbike accident in 2022 with two of the victims losing their lives to their injuries, according to data from the Advice Centre for Accident Prevention (BFU). That’s almost twice as many young people involved in serious collisions than before the legislation changed.
The BFU’s statistics show that in the four years before the legal change, an average of 56 young people had serious accidents. At this time, 16-year-olds were only allowed to ride a 50cc motorcycle.
BFU director Stefan Siegrist told Swiss broadcaster SRF that the developments are unsurprising. This is because, with the new regulations, younger people can involve themselves in collisions at higher speeds and can take their motorbikes on faster roads such as motorways, therefore creating a higher risk of serious accidents.
According to SRF, a specialist department at the BFU wants to create a campaign to encourage young people to reflect on their driving behaviour. "A campaign is good and will have an effect, but it is not enough to completely eliminate this problem", Siegrist told SRF. “If the number of accidents continues to develop like this, we have to talk about whether the introduction of this new law was correct”, Siegrist added.
On the other hand, supporters are quick to point out that the law has only been in effect for two years. The rise in the number of accidents has also been seen in other vehicles in Switzerland, including e-bikes.