Over the past five years (2006-2010), 904 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 7% of all riders who crash, but they involved 21% of the riders in fatal crashes. Nearly half (45%) of all unlicensed riders who crash were under 26 years.

1. Nearly a third of all unlicensed riders (30%) were involved in speed related crashes compared with 23% of licensed riders.
2. 20% of unlicensed riders and 33% of their injured pillions, were not wearing a helmet, or wore a helmet that was not correctly fastened, when they crashed. They account for 44% of all un-helmeted riders.
3. 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%).
4. In 2010, 18% of unlicensed riders had an illegal blood alcohol reading (BAC) compared to 3% of riders in general. They accounted for 33% of all riders in crashes with illegal BAC.

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 [RMS, Speed: Speed Problem Definition and Countermeasures Summary, 2000].

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