IF I am asked what is the most dangerous activity in Malaysia, without any hesitation my answer is motorcycling.
Just look at the horrifying statistic of deaths on our roads and highways year in, year out.
Even describing the situation as horrifying is an understatement.
It is the number one cause of deaths among Malaysia’s Gen Y, including children as young as six years old.
In the 12-year period from 2009 to 2020, total of 2,688 children between the ages of six and 15 were reported killed and the total was three times more for those aged between 16 and 20, at 9,291.
Despite the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw much reduced motorcycle traffic due to the movement control order over the two years since March 2020, over 800 motorcycle-related deaths were reported among those below 20 years old alone.
Last year, a total of 3,112 people died in motorcycle crashes out of the total road fatalities that claimed 4,539 lives, which means that seven out of 10 deaths were motorcyclists and pillion riders.
The high death tolls among children even raises concern of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
WHO Representative to Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Jacqueline Lo Ying-Ru said road crashes were the main cause of deaths among children in Malaysia and the country obviously needs to address its road safety issues.
As often highlighted in this column over the years, there should be political will to initiate the process of enacting the necessary laws to create a new motorcycle riding culture, beginning with reducing the speed limit.
Over time and with effective enforcement, this will slowly but surely put an end to speeding that is the main cause of such fatal crashes.
Road safety research has shown that if the maximum speed of the two-wheelers is limited to 70km/h to 80km/h, fatal crashes could be reduced by as much as 80%.
Alongside the lower speed limit, another effective step to curb such deaths and injuries – which are even higher – would be to roll out designated lanes for motorcyclists to ride without having to squeeze in an out of the middle lanes where bigger vehicles are also moving.
All of us must be regularly receiving gory videos on our handphones of motorcyclists being thrown off their bikes as they speed along mainstream lanes.
Ministers of transport and ministers of works have come and gone over the past decades without them leaving any legacy of doing something effective to deal with the road carnage involving motorcycles.
I walk the talk on this by meeting with a then transport minister and a then works ministers to impress on them the critical and urgent need to rein in the motorcyclists, both with a lower speed limit as well as through dedicated lanes.
Both of them apparently did not take up the idea of wanting to save motorcyclist lives, which actually could address related social problems such as families losing their bread winners.
And not to mention the high costs incurred by insurance companies as well as the Social Security Organisation (Socso) in compensation payments.
On quite a regular basis, I have also texted the current ministers of these two ministries to hopefully prick their conscience on this life-and-death issue. So far it’s been a futile effort.
Chris Syer, the president of the Malaysian British Society and an Englishman who has been living in Malaysia as a permanent resident for over 60 years, is heart-broken each time I mention to him about the unabated loss of lives among motorcyclists.
“These are meaningless, senseless and futile deaths. Most motorcyclists are speeding while riding. My advice is: Better late than dead on time,” he told me.
I sign off by appealing to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, in line with his “Keluarga Malaysia” political branding, to impose his political will to make a difference.
Please do something to prevent such deaths as far as possible.
This will at the end of the day bring about more harmonious Malaysian families as envisioned by our prime minister.
Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
