Can I ride one handed?
Question
A friend of mine who is a traffic highway patrol officer has mentioned to me that I should be wary of riding with only one hand on the bars, because it could be found that I am not in “proper control” of the machine. Is it an offence to ride like that? If it is what is the point of cruise control where you can let go of the twist grip without the throttle shutting off?
Tim Newman, by email
Answer
There is no law that says you can’t ride one-handed. But if a police officer believes there are other factors that do constitute the offence of ‘not being in proper control’ (which is found at S41 D of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Regulation 110 Construction and Use Regulations 1986) it could get to court. Mobile phone use by a car driver is covered by the same legislation.
So riding one-handed is fine so long as you remain in proper control. If you are not then you could be committing an offence.
Relaxing your throttle grip with cruise control on is one thing, but a police officer could argue in court that resting your right hand anywhere else other than the handlebar for an extended time seriously limits your ability to brake and swerve around a sudden obstacle.
The penalty for this offence is Level 3 fine, maximum of £1,000 and 3 points with a discretionary disqualification.
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