Mandatory EU-wide periodic technical inspections (PTI) for motorcycles remains disproportionate, unsupported by impartial accident evidence, and inconsistent with Europe’s regulatory simplification agenda.
This is a press release from the FIM…
Strasbourg, France (May 21, 2026) — The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) takes note of the European Parliament’s position on the revision of the Roadworthiness Package and reiterates its strong opposition to the introduction of mandatory EU-wide Periodic Technical Inspections (PTI) for motorcycles.
While FIM fully supports measures that improve motorcyclist safety, the proposed mandatory inspection regime does not address the principal causes of road accidents involving motorcycles, scooters and other powered two-wheelers (PTWs). The priority must be effective, evidence-based policy, not additional administrative obligations that would create costs for riders and public authorities without delivering measurable safety benefits.
Jorge Viegas, FIM President, said: “FIM’s position is clear: roadworthiness matters, and motorcyclist safety matters. But mandatory EU-wide PTI for motorcycles is not the right instrument to reduce accidents. Member States must retain the flexibility to decide whether such systems are necessary and adapted to their national context. Europe should focus on measures that are proven to save lives, not on regulatory obligations that impose costs without clear safety gains.”
Available evidence does not demonstrate either a correlation or a causal link between mandatory PTI regimes and a reduction in road accidents involving motorcycles. Technical defects represent only a very small share of motorcycle accident causation, while the major factors remain human behavior, rider and driver awareness, infrastructure quality, road surface conditions, visibility, junction safety, and enforcement against dangerous conduct.
Introducing a mandatory EU-wide PTI obligation would therefore risk targeting the wrong problem. It would require inspection capacity, additional administrative systems, training, equipment, compliance mechanisms and rider time, while the expected safety return remains unproven. For many riders, particularly commuters, young users and those living in rural or remote areas, mandatory inspections would also mean additional travel, cost and inconvenience.
At a time when the EU has placed regulatory simplification, proportionality and competitiveness at the center of its political agenda, the imposition of a new mandatory inspection obligation on motorcycles would move in the opposite direction. A measure that generates administrative burden should be justified by clear, impartial evidence of necessity and effectiveness. In the case of mandatory PTI for motorcycles, that evidence has not been provided.
FIM therefore calls on the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission to preserve the existing ability of Member States to exempt motorcycles from mandatory PTI where equivalent road safety outcomes can be achieved through other measures. A one-size-fits-all EU approach is neither necessary nor proportionate. Member States have different vehicle fleets, geography, inspection infrastructure, enforcement systems, riding seasons and road safety priorities. National authorities are best placed to determine whether periodic inspections for motorcycles are appropriate in their specific circumstances.
FIM will continue to work with European institutions, national federations and road safety stakeholders to promote targeted measures that genuinely reduce motorcycle casualties. These include improved rider training, better road infrastructure, safer road design, maintenance of road surfaces, awareness of motorcycles among other road users, and proportionate enforcement.
