‘The motor vehicle tax regime in the UK creates a failure of trust’ Opinion pieces April 8, 2017March 8, 2017 MAG UK director Ian Churchlow wrote an opinion piece on the motorcycle taxation system in the United Kingdom. Ian Churchlow is also MAG UK's delegate to FEMA. My friend Andy and I were discussing the concept of fairness when it comes to the governments’ environmental taxation policy on motor vehicles. Our conversation
Will self-driving cars see motorcycles? Opinion pieces October 26, 2016October 26, 2016 Self-driving cars: what to think of them from the perspective of motorcycle safety? We take a closer look at the technology that is supposed to make riding safer. It came as quite a shock to motorcycle riders reading in their newspapers: recently a driver of a Tesla on ‘autopilot’ was killed
Motorcycle safety and accidents in Europe Opinion pieces August 5, 2016March 23, 2020 In recent years, about 25,000 motorcyclists (m/f) have participated in surveys about motorcycle safety and accidents commissioned by FEMA and Dutch organization MAG. This is a summary report by Harold de Bock (MAG). Subjects include: How dangerous is it to ride a motorcycle in the various individual European countries? What are
Olaf Biethan: ‘I ride an electric motorcycle to work every day’ Opinion pieces July 6, 2016November 11, 2021 Olaf Biethan from the German city of Cologne is the vice president of BVDM, a German member organization of FEMA. He is what you call 'the definition of a passionate motorcyclist'. Olaf goes on long motorcycle vacations, hits the mud pits on weekends and takes part in off-road rallies. And since
Marchel Bulthuis: ‘The future of motorcycling is electric’ Opinion pieces June 21, 2016June 21, 2016 More and more motorcycle manufacturers are building bikes that use ‘alternative fuels’ and electric motorcycles could be the future if we want to keep riding without using fossil fuels and without polluting our environment. To find out more about electric motorcycles, FEMA talked to Marchel Bulthuis, a Dutch importer of a
Yes, motorcycles use less fuel than cars, here’s the proof Opinion pieces May 2, 2016May 23, 2016 Motorcycles consume less fuel than cars. You may think this is obvious, because they are smaller, weigh less and have smaller engines. But do they really? We are going to find out. It isn’t as simple as it sounds. Often we hear people complaining – or boasting - about a car
FEMA explains: what exactly is eCall? Opinion pieces April 4, 2016April 4, 2016 As of March 2018 all cars and vans must be fitted with an eCall device. Now the European Commission is working at eCall for motorcycles. Many people have some idea about eCall, but what exactly is it? In case of an accident, especially with serious injuries, quick help is important and
Do motorcyclists need to stay in control? Opinion pieces March 7, 2016July 1, 2016 FEMA’s mailboxes overflow with messages about autonomous driving cars, C-ITS (connected intelligent transport systems), or just ITS, smart roads and other developments that suggest driver-free traffic in the very near future. Or at least a situation where control is more and more transferred from human drivers to machines. Daily new developments,
Around the world in 80 days – on an electric bike! Opinion pieces October 6, 2015October 6, 2015 A group of 30 students at the Technical University of Eindhoven in the Netherlands started the STORM project in the beginning of 2014. In September 2014 they started building their motorcycle. Now they not only have a working electric motorcycle with unheard-of specifications, they also invented a way to ride
Harley-Davidson’s Project LiveWire Opinion pieces September 23, 2015September 23, 2015 The LiveWire experience, under this name Harley-Davidson is collecting responses to its electric motorcycle. Electric motorcycles are part of our future and a way to make motorcycles cleaner. Harley-Davidson has made quite a show. As a kind of travelling circus the company goes all over the world with its LiveWire experience.