KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) today urged motorcycle manufacturers to place an emphasis on the design of the machines, particularly those of smaller engine capacities (kapchai), to ensure the safety of their riders on the road.
Miros chairman, Datuk Suret Singh, said the manufacturers should not be too passionate about designing the motorcycles solely for speed.
“It’s time that the manufacturers give emphasis to more solid designs while always enhancing the safety and technology features because statistics show that more than 4,000 riders of kapchai motorcycles are killed on the roads annually.
“Furthermore, 92% of the 15 million registered and licensed motorcyclists in the country are users of the kapchai, with engine capacity of 150 cc and below, and many of them come from the B40 (below 40% income-earners) group,” he told Bernama.
Suret Singh explained that Miros had conducted various studies on the safety aspects of motorcyclists and the outcome would be conveyed to the stakeholders in the effort to seek a solution to the problem associated with this group.
“We need the agreement and support of all agencies, including the government. We propose that the Safety First Group be involved with the Road Safety Council at the state level,” he added.
Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Azman Ujang, who is also the advisor of the Safety First Group, said he hoped that campaigns undertaken by the group that focused on creating awareness, among others, on the safe riding of motorcycles, would have a positive impact.
The Safety First Group has over 500 members and circulates information on road safety through the WhatsApp application.
“We hope this group will be mobilised widely across the country so that the 15 million motorcyclists become more aware of the safe riding of motorcycles.
“This is because the consequences of these accidents are most saddening – more children being orphaned, families losing their source of income and such – because 10 to 12 accidents are recorded daily with the number of critically injured being two to three times more,” said Azman.
He said the safety campaign must be carried out continuously to ensure that the impact of the awareness among road users was at the highest level.
“Do not have (these campaigns) only during the festive seasons because it would seem to be just a cosmetic effort, not serious,” he added. — Bernama
