Marrakech – Morocco has suspended the controversial motorcycle enforcement campaign that had generated significant public outcry in recent days. The decision came after Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch held a Thursday morning phone call with Transport Minister Abdessamad Kayouh.
According to converging reports, the government will now grant motorcycle owners a 12-month transitional period to adapt to legal standards and technical specifications. This grace period will be used to raise awareness about the dangers of modifying motorcycle engines and their contribution to rising accident rates.
The suspended campaign, launched by the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, had used speedometers to measure maximum speeds of motorcycles.
Any motorcycle traveling at, or exceeding 58 km/h was deemed “modified” and subject to impoundment, with owners facing potential fines between MAD 5,000 and 30,000 ($500-3,000) and prison sentences from three months to one year.
MP Mohammed Ouzzine had submitted a written question to the Transport Minister questioning the campaign’s rationale. “Most motorcycles circulating in Morocco, especially those of French and Japanese manufacture, naturally exceed this speed without any technical modification,” Ouzzine specified in his parliamentary inquiry.
The parliamentarian warned that strict application of this measure would deprive more than one million Moroccans of their motorcycles and increase pressure on purchasing power, without accompanying awareness programs or road safety training.
Citizens questioned the apparent contradiction in the state’s approach: “How can thousands of modified or non-compliant motorcycles be allowed through customs, displayed at licensed points of sale, and granted registration cards confirming a 49cc capacity, only for citizens to later discover after normal purchase and use that they are breaking the law?”
The campaign had already resulted in hundreds of motorcycles being impounded across several Moroccan cities. Security forces had set up checkpoints at strategic locations, where motorcycles underwent field tests. Most seized vehicles were reportedly low-cost Chinese models that had been illegally modified to increase their maximum speed.
Some motorcycle owners had launched a “Leave It At Home” initiative, choosing to keep their vehicles parked to avoid controls and impoundment.
The National Road Safety Agency (NARSA) had justified the measures as necessary to protect citizens’ lives and ensure compliance with legal standards. The agency argued that motorcycles exceeding 40 km/h were responsible for a serious percentage of fatal accidents.
Official data indicates that motorcycle accidents now represent more than 30% of all road fatality victims in Morocco.
Ouzzine criticized limiting safety criteria to speed alone, arguing this ignores other crucial elements such as motorcycle weight, brake quality, helmet type, and overall technical structure.
He maintained that effective monitoring of technical modifications should begin at the import and approval stages, continuing through distribution, rather than placing full responsibility on citizens.
The issue had sparked debate about equal enforcement, with some questioning whether government departments would subject their own motorcycles and employees to the same standards applied to ordinary citizens.
During the 12-month grace period, relevant authorities will be tasked with monitoring importers’ compliance with regulations governing this type of vehicle.
Read also: Double License Plates Required for Moroccans Driving Abroad
