Over the past five years (2003-2007), 467 unlicensed riders were involved in road crashes in NSW. This group includes those riders whose licence has been cancelled or disqualified as well as those who have never obtained a motorcycle licence.

These riders comprise only 4% of all riders who crash, but they involved 18% of the riders in fatal crashes, over half of whom were under 26 years.

1. In 2006, unlicensed riders accounted for 35% of all riders in crashes who had an illegal alcohol reading.
2. Eighteen per cent (18%) of all unlicensed riders involved in crashes had an illegal alcohol level compared to 3% of licensed riders.
3. Nearly a third of all unlicensed riders (31%) were involved in speed related crashes compared with 23% of licensed riders.
4. Nearly a quarter of all unlicensed riders (24%) were not wearing a helmet, or wore a helmet that was not correctly fastened, when they crashed. They account for 31% of all un-helmeted riders.
5. Pillion casualties were more likely not to have worn a helmet if they were on a motorcycle ridden by an unlicensed rider than a licensed rider (3% vs 0.1%).

Unlicensed riding is more of a social problem than it is a specific motorcycling problem. The increased incidence of risk taking behaviour amongst unlicensed motorcycle riders also occurs amongst unlicensed car drivers. Although unlicensed drivers are a small minority amongst drivers, 12% of all speeding drivers in fatal crashes were unlicensed [RTA, Speed: Speed Problem Definition and Countermeasures Summary, 2000].