A motorcyclist faced a terrifying moment and nearly lost his life when his neck became entangled in a kite string in front of Taman Tasik Metropolitan Kepong, Kuala Lumpur recently.
In a 53-second video that went viral on Facebook, the victim recounted the incident, stating that several kites had flown out of the park area and onto the main road.
“Please take action, the kites are reaching the main road. What’s more painful is this (referring to a neck injury). Luckily, I was wearing cloth; if not, it would have been over... my neck would have been severed.
“The string got tangled... my shirt tore, my bag tore, all because of the kite string from Tasik Metropolitan Kepong that ended up on the road,“ he said.
He added that the kite string was hanging low and was almost invisible, leading to the accident.
The incident has also raised concerns about the use of “gelasan string”, often used by kite flyers to cut opponents’ strings, but which is dangerous when used in public areas.
In response, Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng who also shared the video incident said:
“I refer to the video that went viral this morning concerning a serious incident on the MRR2 Highway near Taman Tasik Metropolitan Kepong.
“A motorcyclist was seen with his neck entangled by a kite string, believed to be from the play area near the highway.
“This is not a minor issue. It involves the safety of road users’ lives. Flying kites near a busy, high-speed highway like MRR2 is a negligent and dangerous act. It cannot be allowed to continue.
As such, Lim suggested to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to immediately relocate kite-flying areas far from all risky zones, especially along highways and main roads.
“It is time this issue is managed seriously and systematically. The safety of road users cannot be compromised,” he added.
