Road traffic law and regulations
Road traffic law and regulations
This domain checks whether you know the legal framework that applies specifically to motorcycles in Malta: licence categories, the documents a rider must hold, alcohol limits, protective equipment and the penalties that follow a breach. Questions usually place you in a scenario and ask what is legal, rather than asking you to recite a definition.
Licence categories
- AM - mopeds up to 50 cc and 45 km/h, from age 16.
- A1 - light motorcycles up to 125 cc and 11 kW, from age 16.
- A2 - motorcycles up to 35 kW, from age 18.
- A - unrestricted, from age 20 after two years on A2, or from 24 by direct access. A provisional licence holder may not carry a pillion passenger.
Documents and equipment
Every ride requires a licence valid for the category, a registered and licensed machine, and at least third-party insurance. A helmet to the recognised standard is compulsory for rider and passenger and must be fastened. A passenger needs a proper seat and footrests. Lights, horn, tyres and brakes must be in working order.
Alcohol and conduct
In Malta the general limit is 0.5 g/l blood alcohol, while novice riders (within three years of passing) and professional drivers are held to 0.2 g/l. Refusing to provide a specimen is itself an offence. Hand-held phone use while riding is prohibited. Offences carry penalty points, fines and possible disqualification.
Worked example
A rider who passed his test two years ago is stopped and records 0.3 g/l. He argues he is under the 0.5 limit. He is wrong: as a novice he is subject to 0.2 g/l, so he is over the limit and commits an offence. The 0.5 figure only assists experienced drivers.
Traps that cost marks
- Believing a car licence automatically covers a 125 cc machine.
- Treating the helmet as optional in hot weather or for short trips.
- Assuming a pillion passenger is insured without checking the policy.
- Assuming a foreign licence is automatically valid without checking the entitlement shown on it.