Red means stop, 301 motorcyclists killed in 6 months

PETALING JAYA: There are 301 recorded deaths in Malaysia involving motorcyclists who jumped the red light at traffic junctions in the first six months this year, while 299 suffered injuries after committing this offence.
There were 263 deaths and 287 cases of injuries in the same period in 2016.
The Traffic Police Enforcement and Investigation Department (JSPT) of Bukit Aman said the sharp increase in number of deaths was due to the attitude and road manners of our riders.
"Despite various efforts and law enforcement to deter them from such dangerous acts, our riders choose to remain defiant," Utusan Malaysia quoted a spokesman from the department as saying.
He said the number of fatalities involving cars and motorcyclists had also increased in the last seven months.
"It increased from 13,376 in the previous year to 15,314," he said, adding that accidents usually occur at intersections, or due to careless driving, overtaking and speeding.
The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) stated that 60% of fatalities on the road involved motorcyclists, and the youngest victims were aged between 16 and 25 years old.
According to statistics last year, 20 people die every day due to road accidents.
Deputy Director-General of the Road Safety Department (JKJR) Datuk Roslan Eusoff said motorcyclists or pillion riders topped the list, with an average 12 fatalities out of the 20.
"This shows that motorcyclists and pillion riders contributed the highest number of deaths on roads last year, totaling 4,485," he said.