MOTORCYCLE accidents in Malaysia can be reduced if there are dedicated motorbike lanes, better awareness and stricter enforcement, road safety and motorcycle groups said.

Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Prof Law Teik Hua, who has worked in road safety research for more than 20 years, said motorcycle accidents and fatalities have been a long-standing issue but little has been done to address it.

“There have been few improvements and progress is not fast enough. The issue is also a complex one, involving human, vehicle and road factors,” said Law, who is with the university’s Road Safety Research Centre under the Engineering Faculty.

In Malaysia, part of the problem is that there are almost an equal number of cars and motorcycles on the road.

“It is more straightforward to address in a place like Cambodia where 80% of vehicles are motorcycles,” said Law.

As such, road planners in Malaysia cater for cars, and motorcycles are forced to share the roads with larger vehicles.

Yet, studies by Law’s research centre have found that the most effective way to protect riders is to separate cars from motorcycles, reducing the chances of contact and, in turn, the accident rate.

“Build more dedicated motorcycle lanes. We already have the world’s first dedicated highway motorcycle lane, located next to Federal Highway. Did you know that?

“But many riders do not use it,” Law said.

The authorities should discuss improvements needed to existing motorcycle lanes, noting that there are two types.

“One is the dedicated lane exclusively for motorcycles.

“The other is a shared lane, an inclusive motorcycle lane with double white lines or traffic signs to separate the motorcycle lane from the outer lane (for cars).

“The exclusive lane occupies a larger area and the cost is higher, while the shared lane is cheaper,” Law said, adding that the latter is often not properly used by motorcyclists who preferred to go on the lanes meant for cars.

He said pre-planning is important. A decision must be made before building a new road, whether a motorcycle lane is needed, rather than after it is completed.

He also said motorcyclists are not encouraged to observe traffic rules and ride safely as the database of the Road Transport Department and the traffic police are not linked.

“They are still able to renew their road tax and licence even if they get a traffic ticket. So, it means nothing. People just ignore the ticket. Why would people want to be more diligent about observing traffic rules?” said. Law.

Malaysia Motorcycle and Scooter Dealers Association president Wee Hong said there is still room for improvement in enforcement by the traffic police.

Traffic police do not act when a motorcyclist runs a red light, so the rider thinks doing so is a minor problem, he said.

“Traffic police should strictly enforce the law and issue tickets. If the rider fails to pay the fine, the Road Transport Department will blacklist the rider and prohibit the renewal of the driver’s licence. Then people will know there are consequences,” he said.

On having more motorcycle lanes, Johor Motorcycle and Scooter Traders Association chairman Chen Kim Hock said this move will reduce traffic accidents.

“The association has been submitting suggestions and memorandums to the government through various channels and on numerous occasions for many years, but so far, it has not seen the authorities effectively implement motorcycle lanes,” he said.

“Accidents and tragedies can actually be reduced. Moreover, enforcing the use of motorcycle lanes can also reduce the problem of illegal racing.”

The death rate for motorcycle accidents continues to rise yearly. A new record was set this year with motorcyclists accounting for 70.2% of the nationwide vehicle accident deaths, an increase from 62% last year.

This means that out of every 10 vehicle accident deaths, seven are bikers or pillion riders.

Malaysia is close to replacing Thailand with having the world’s worst death rate for motorcyclists.

Free Malaysia Today has reported that Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) was surprised by the police data.

“The latest data by the police is staggering since we projected that Malaysia could only reach the fatal crash rate of 70% by 2025 (for motorcycles),” Miros Road Safety Engineering and Environment Research Centre director Muhammad Marizwan Abdul Manan was reported saying. – October 28, 2021.