POLL: Should cyclists be made to have insurance and licence plates?

Cyclists in Italy could be made to have insurance, licence plates, indicators and wear helmets following a proposed law by the country’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport Matteo Salvini. 

Mr Salvini has put forward the changes to the Italian Highway Code for soft mobility vehicles such as bicycles and electric scooters in an effort to reduce the number of deaths caused by road accidents.

The right-wing Lega politician previously dismissed similar plans in 2015 as “crazy”. But told the Italian Parliament earlier this month that his plans would guarantee “more rules, more education, and more safety on Italian roads”.

The bicycle manufacturers association, ANCMA, argues that the reform is “extremely worrying”. They said: “This reform seems to be more about stopping the spread of bicycles than increasing safety on the roads.”

British barrister James M. Turner said that the proposals would also impact Italy’s tourism industry and claimed that the measures would be ineffective. He said: “It’s not as if compulsory registration and number plates stop people in cars or on motorbikes behaving recklessly.”

READ MORE: Cyclists wearing safety gear seen as ‘less than fully human’, study finds

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Last summer, then-Transport Secretary Grant Shapps suggested that cyclists in the UK should have number plates and was keen to introduce a “death by dangerous cycling” law. The Labour Party criticised the plans as “absurd and unworkable”.

The plans were ruled out with the Department for Transport concluding: “The Government has no plans to introduce a registration and licensing regime for cyclists. The costs and complexity of introducing such a system would significantly outweigh the benefits.”

But what do YOU think? Should cyclists in the UK be made to have insurance and licence plates? Vote in our poll and join the debate in the comment section below.