Expressway Familiarisation Ride course will be mandatory to Class 2B learners

The optional Expressway Familiarisation Ride course has not been popular with aspiring motorcycle riders here, The Straits Times reported. In the first two years of the course's introduction, fewer than 10 percent of the learner riders at Singapore Safety Driving Centre (SSDC) took up the course. 

Regardless, the 100 minute course will be compulsory for all Class 2B learner riders before they can get their licences from June, as announced by Second Minister for Home Affairs, S. Iswaran, during the Budget debate on March 7th.

57-year old Aman Aljunied, Assistant Manager at SSDC, revealed that in the last two years only 254 of a total of 3,877 learners took up the expressway course. Biker, Sebastian Yeo Koh, did not enrol in the course as he found it 'unnecessary', yet realised his error only after obtaining his Class 2B license.

Police statistics reveal a quarter of 3,851 motorcycle accidents that occurred last year happened on expressways, and riders who took up the optional course were found to be significantly less likely to be involved in accidents on expressways.

Mr Aljunied also added the course aims to help riders familiarise with riding speeds beyond 50km/h on the expressways - a scenario not liable during normal lesson time.