Question:
Good day, My son is currently attending college in South Africa and we would like to purchase a motorcycle for him to get to and from college. What is the law regarding this and what does he need to purchase a motorcycle legally?
Answer:
There are no legal requirements from a traffic law perspective for your son to purchase a motorcycle. However in order for the motorcycle to be operated on a public road the following requirements need to be met:
• The minimum age for a code 1 (motor cycle) learner’s licence (LL) is 16. The code 1 LL authorises the holder thereof to ride a motor cycle on a public road, provided that s/he shall not convey any passengers, i.e must be riding alone. Please note that if s/he is under the age of 18 the maximum engine capacity is 125cc. The LL is valid for a period of 2 years from the date of issue.
• The appropriate driving licence (DL) for the vehicle category for a motorcycle will either be a code A1 or code A driving licence. A code A1 DL gives authorisation to ride a motor cycle which has an engine capacity that does not exceed 125cc. The minimum age to obtain a code A1 DL is 17. A code A DL authorises the holder thereof to ride a motor cycle that has an engine capacity that exceeds 125cc as well as the authorisation provided for by a code A1 DL. The minimum age for a code A DL is 18.
• For your son to be issued with a DL (either code A or A1) referred to above, he must already be in possession of a valid code 1 LL.
Note that your insurance company may require that before the motor cycle is insured the regular rider should be in possession of either a LL or DL.
Regards,
Clancinah Baloyi
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- Motorcycle Safety 101
- Road Safety & Training Motorcyclists
- Think Bike Presentation
- Motorcycle Safety
- Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors
- Training OTRE