Dear Sir or Madam,
I propose an amendment, namely that the law should require all owners of bicycles with an auxiliary motor to take out compulsory insurance and to register a vehicle in the category of bicycle with an auxiliary motor.
This would achieve the following:
- clear ownership of PTWs and, as a consequence, a reduction in the huge number of thefts of this category of vehicle.
- coverage of any damage caused by the rider of the PTW, i.e. an obligation of the AO policy
- number plates to identify perpetrators in the event of escape attempts
The police would also benefit from a portable device to determine the terminal speed of single-track vehicles, as the vast majority of AWD bikes are NOT limited by design to 25km/h (with the interlocks removed by the user), which is a major hazard on cycle lanes open to these vehicles.
I myself recently had a bitter experience with a minor causing a road accident by crashing into my category B vehicle. Of course, in accordance with his street manners, the delinquent then fled. At this point, I would point out that the law does not allow me to apprehend the offender by use of force, so I have no leverage to obtain the offender's personal data, which I could use to bring a civil action to recover payment of damages. The police, as always, took an exemplary inventory of the facts about an hour after the accident. The result of the case was my having to pay for the damage and the repairs to the vehicle while the police were busily 'gathering information'.