Bikers are drivers, says Highways Agency

Motorcyclists will be called “drivers” under new Highways Agency guidelines.

The Agency will use the term instead of “motorists” when referring to both car drivers and motorcyclists together. 

A Highways Agency spokesman said: “The reasoning for it is that the dictionary definition of motorist is a car driver or car user and we want to be more inclusive.

“It’s a case of trying to find a term that sums up the road users we’ve got without having to name check every different type of vehicle.”

But he said horse riders would still be called horse riders.

He said the guidelines, for Highways Agency press officers to use in statements, made no reference to motorcyclists.

“There’s nothing there that says you cannot use the term,” he added.