Three motorcyclists were reportedly killed and three others were injured when a car ploughed into them as they were seeking shelter from the rain under an overhead bridge along the New Klang Valley Expressway near Petaling Jaya.
Such tragic occurrences are not new. Motorcyclists have very little protection from bad weather along most of our roadways.
Hence, they often have to shelter under flyovers during sudden thunderstorms, which are now more frequent due to climate change.
Along most major highways in Malaysia, motorcyclists are hardly provided any safety shelters between laybys.
Town planners and highway operators cannot continue to play dumb and pay lip service to the long-neglected and compromised safety standards for motorcyclists in the country.
- Sign up for Aliran's free daily email updates or weekly newsletters or both
- Make a one-off donation to Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara, CIMB a/c 8004240948
- Make a pledge or schedule an auto donation to Aliran every month or every quarter
- Become an Aliran member
People in Malaysia buy close to over 500,000 motorcycles yearly. In 2021 over 700,000 motorcycles were sold.
As at 2021 (last available national statistics) almost 12 million registered vehicles or over 46% of the total number of legal vehicles plying our roadways were motorcycles.
So, it is distressing that, despite the growing number of motorbikes on the road, the authorities have paid scant attention to secure road safety features for motorcyclists.
If motorcyclists are killed while taking shelter under flyovers during a sudden storm, it is a clear sign we as a nation have failed to care for our people.
Hopefully, the news of these three tragic deaths will be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
