Govt Urged to Enforce Stricter Motorcycle Safety Rules

PETALING JAYA: With motorcyclists making up some 70% or over 4,000 road fatalities in 2024, Universiti Putra Malaysia Road Safety Research Centre head Assoc Prof Dr Law Teik Hua called on the government to establish explicit regulations to address their poor riding habits.

He was referring to Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah, who commented on
Jan 15 that there were 5,939 fatalities out of the 585,729 road crashes nationwide as at November 2024.

“Of this, 67% or 4,014 fatalities involved motorcyclists and pillion riders, with the majority being youths aged 16 to 35,” he said.

Law told theSun: “The lack of legislation in the Road Transport Act 1987 regarding poor riding habits and inconsistencies in enforcement, especially with police often turning a blind eye during traffic congestion, perpetuate unsafe riding practices.”

Safety Driving Centre operations manager Tinesh Kumar Koppalai Kirnan said motorcyclists are taught to use motorcycle lanes where available.

“In the absence of such lanes, motorcyclists must remain on the left side of roads and highways. Riding between cars or in the middle of the road is unsafe and strongly discouraged.”

He said motorcyclists should always check for oncoming vehicles and blind spots before overtaking to ensure their safety and that of other road users, and while motorists use their indicators to signal lane changes, motorcyclists are known to ignore them.

“Ideally, motorcyclists should acknowledge such signals by slowing down to allow motorists to make safe lane changes, but whether they do or not depends on the individual rider’s attitude and situational awareness.”

Tinesh stressed the importance of using indicators as a critical aspect of road safety, and said during the Road Transport Department’s practical riding test, using indicators and proper hand signals is mandatory. Failing to do so will result in immediate failure.

Tinesh said despite having a licence, many motorcyclists exhibit impatience, lack skills, fail to check blind spots, and do not adjust their side mirrors, which all contribute to poor riding behaviour.

Assistant marketing executive Mohamad Rizal Rahman, 28, said driving is highly stressful as motorcyclists behave like the “kings of the road” and are always in the way of motorists as they zip between lanes.

“What gets on my nerves is that motorcyclists don’t bother to use their indicators most times when making a turn, causing motorists to suddenly slam the brakes.”

He said when motorists attempt to change lanes or make an exit, motorcyclists often refuse to give way.

“I always signal in advance, but more often than not, they continue at the same speed and don’t let me change lanes.

“On many occasions, I have missed my exit because they’re in the way.

“The alternative is to have the motorcyclist slam into me,” he said, adding that when he uses his indicators, motorcyclists honk and refuse to let him enter the next lane.

“They don’t seem to care about the safety of others. The worst part is, in Malaysia, if there’s a road crash involving a car and a motorcycle, the motorist is automatically blamed, even if it is not his fault.

“Motorists are constantly threatened by the poor riding habits of motorcyclists, and it seems like the Transport Ministry, Road Transport Department and traffic police are turning a blind eye to their misconduct.”

Graphic designer Gayathri Thangarajah, 27, said she has lost count of how many times she had to slam the brakes because motorcyclists cut in without warning.

“Motorcyclists are a nuisance on the road as they disregard lane change indicators and believe they can do whatever they wish.”

She said she too has had to miss exits due to speeding motorcyclists who disregard her indicator lights.

“They also seem to take the moral high ground and honk or show us obscene hand gestures as if to say ‘I don’t care, go ahead and miss your exit’.”

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