In a bid to ensure road safety, Thailand's Ministry of Transport on Wednesday said the Cabinet had finally approved ministerial regulations on the issuing and renewal of drivers' licenses of "big bikes."
"'Big bike' riders will need a separate license from those of smaller, less powerful motorcycles, with applicants needing to pass special training and a test before being given a license," said the Transport Ministry.
The details of the training and test will be announced by the Ministry's Department of Land Transport.
The objectives of these regulations are to reduce road accidents and promote safety among vehicle users as well as pedestrians, and to update training and tests to suit the current situation, said the ministry.
The regulations are part of the government's efforts to reduce the increasing number of accidents caused especially by "big bikes," as these are more powerful than regular motorcycles and need a higher level of skill and experience to ride, the ministry added.
It said one of the criteria for applying for a big bike license is that applicants must have a certain number of years of experience in riding a normal motorcycle, in order to reduce the number of inexperienced riders on the road.
According to the Thailand Development Research Institute's report for 2019, Thailand has more than 20 million motorcycles.
The report indicated that about 70 percent of road traffic deaths come from motorcycle crashes and the numbers are steadily on the rise.
The fatalities mostly involve young males aged between 15 and 24.