Obtaining a motorbike license in South Africa is far easier than obtaining a drivers license. The requirements, unlike testing for a light motor vehicle, are minimal.
Yet, a Ducati South Africa Client Relations Management Survey found that a number of customers who bought bikes during the 2010 festive season, until 31 January 2011, don’t know how to ride.
“With road carnage being experienced on a daily basis where bikers have become casual victims, we need to take swift action. As Ducati South Africa we saw a need to address the gap that exists between government, riders and road users by intensifying our 2011 Safety Ride Campaign on 6 February,” Ducati South Africa MD, Paul Phume said.
According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation, 347 bikers across the country were involved in fatal crashes in 2009 with 299 deaths were reported in the same year. “In most instances bike fanatics go to a dealer to buy a high performance bike just without any ride training; this is one of the factors contributing to road fatalities,” said Phume.
Bikers will converge at Ducati South Africa Sandton shop, opposite Village Walk Shopping Centre, at 07:30 before heading off to Soweto where main activities of the day are planned to take place.
To make the colossal campaign reach full strides, Ducati South Africa re-launched its academy named Ducati Rider Training earlier this month. “At the Ducati Rider Training we teach customers who bought bikes how to ride, riding on the road and on the track because through education we can curb unnecessary fatalities,” said Phume.
“By law you are entitled to buy a bike with just a learner’s licence even if you don’t know how to ride, but it’s not a wise move to ride before receiving certain training. Our survey proved to us that there’s a need to educate new riders about road safety methods,” Phume said.
Phume added that one of their objectives to establish Ducati Rider Training is to do away with dangerous tendencies where new riders tempted to teach themselves
