With more than 90,000 students riding to school daily without a valid motorcycle licence, a suggestion has been made to lower the minimum age to obtain a licence from the existing 16 years to 15 in order to legalise these youngsters with valid licences, the New Straits Times reports.
The call lower the age limit for motorcycle licences was made by Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (Miros) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, who said that the move, if implemented, would curb improve road safety.
He was commenting on a report that unlicensed students make up about 80% of some 117,000 students in Malaysia who currently ride a motorcycle to school. Offenders include those between the ages of 11 and 20, and many go to schools in rural areas.
“With the lower age requirement, young people would be encouraged to apply for valid driving licence and undergo proper training before hitting the road. I hope the government and JPJ can implement the new minimum age requirement to enable youths to apply for motorcycle licence. They should be given a valid L (learner’s driver) licence, with the condition that they are not allowed to have pillion riders,” he told the publication.
Lee added that the government should also consider providing incentives for teenagers to encourage them to apply for a valid driving licence, and that parents should make an effort to educate their children on the importance of road safety.
His view was however not shared by others. Parent Action Group for Education chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said that a system where enforcement, education and punishment were strictly in place should be adopted. “Better regulation of the laws is more important than revising the age requirement. In general, students are not ready to become responsible road users at 15 and this is the reason why the current requirement is set at 16 years old,” she stated.
Transport minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai was also against the idea. He said parents should be held accountable for letting their children ride without a licence.
“We want parents to be guided through education. They can be reprimanded, if possible, and they must understand that we have specific laws and regulations when it comes to road use. We will charge and summon those who are found without driving licence. Somebody has to be responsible for committing traffic violations,” Liow explained.
like seriously? why cant we increase the age limit to 21? somehow this will encourage or educate youngster to use public transportation. more people take public, more effort to provide better service. ok sounds like hypocrite, i also rarely use public transportation. Two main reasons, inefficient services and too expensive. unless it will cost me RM2 to travel from my house to city center and take only 45 mins including waiting time, i would definitely use public. waiting for MRT line 1 to operate soon i can ditch my car.
Well you gotta think of this matter in a broader scale.
If you see most (and i dare say >80%) of students that use motorcycle to school are those living outside the city (eg kampung, etc). And to make things worse there not such thins as ‘public transportation’. what they normally have are inter city buses or those taxis, so its a no brainer that these kids would take the bike to school.
If you have the time take a drive to schools outside of the city in kedah, perlis etc, you will see motorbikes lining outsides schools like its the most normal thing ever.
Good. More idiotic street racers and street thugs on the road.
I remember when I was younger, they placed a crashed car with the deceased belongings of the occupants on the main street in NZ, there were also photographs of the deceased with blood and gore. It was traumatizing, yet today I’m proud to say that I’ve never been involved in an accident, even a minor one. People tend to say I’m a very careful driver/rider but I must admit that I do break some rules here and there, just in a cautious manner.
With that said, they ought to lower it to 12yo. Since those kids starts riding bikes around that age. I would rather they realize how fragile their body really is and death is just a blink away, it could be traumatizing for them, but it’ll eventually save their lives and the people around them. Perhaps from 12-21 they need to do a yearly examinations just to remind them of the dangers and safety procedures, since these are the age group that always felt they were invincible.
Production oversupplied each year. So promoting “live-young die-fast” campaign
Imelda,
The problem in Bolehland is ENFORCEMENT.
YOU can keep lowering the age.Those under the age limit will still zoom zoom without helmets with 2 pillion riders behind.
Have u seen those 11 years old riding as if they are moto GP racing?
I have seen old people being knocked down by these speed demons.
Its like the wild wild west.There is virtually lawlessness most of the time until some vvip got knocked down or the Duke Highway rempits appear,this time with bikes.
not all of us live in cities with good public transport network.
stupid comment, if you not qualify for driving license, then take bus.
1st to less the motorcycle usage on the road.. now lower age limit.. which one lah
As per usual… Malaysia minister don’t know what are they recommending…
Aiyo bro… Lee Lam Thye not a minister lah… Bash without brain topkek.
Better to let them ride a bicycle first?
They should ban bikes totally from the road. Bikes are a nuisance to other road users.
You said all car driver are angels?
So you expect all the people in here in the country makes the same money as you? So say we ban all motorbikes, what happens to all those lower income households? Then i guess they have to ditch their bike and take a 10 year loan for a P2 viva, after that each month eat dirt only?
Given the chance im sure they would want to own a car too, but having a personal transportation to go to work are a must for everyone, and a motorbike is the cheapest way to do it.
Please think before making a comment, not everyone can afford to buy and maintain a car. Everyone level of income is different and you cant force them to live the way that you are living right now.
Then please do not complain if the jam/traffic increase 10x since we ditch our bikes and use the car…
Car driver dont drive over speed, potong here and there,after that suddenly turn corner like a boss with signal using motorcycle lane. Then the traffic wont jam everyday and we can reduce accidents and deaths.
More younger rempits.Who’s idea is this? Out of idea or jpj need more cash?
“undergo proper training before hitting the road.”
Hitting the road, then smear all over the street.
age limit under 18 should only allowed 100cc and below.
There are many underage people smoking nowadays. So, lower age limit to buy cigarette lo?
Motorcycle and cigarette are two different thing dude.
What a bullshit, who’s stupid idea is this? They supposed to raise the min age same as car license.
Educate students on road regulations and laws properly first then only talk about lowering the age limit.
p.s Enforce the laws properly first also..don’t keep makan duit kopi only and can settle anything otherwise road users will NEVER learn
You are now certified as young rempit… Good job..
Useless idea. After undergoing “proper training” those budak still exhibit BAD ATTITUDE and BEHAVIOUR on the road. Furthermore many of them start riding bikes since age of 10….
Get them to use bicycles, punish those breaking the laws, including parents who allow their kids to do so.
In Malaysia even adult also drive like their brain inside their kneecap… Latest example: using emergency lane thus obstructing emergency vehicle in highway… topkek!
I think 15 is too low.Keep it at 16 years old.The best thing to do is limit their bike capacity.The first year 100cc and below.Then the next year up to 150cc.Beyond then up to max allowable capacity based on the licence.
There is almost no public transportation in rural areas. Even many housing estates has no bus services running through them.
In my opinion, revamp the B3 licence and lower its age for 15 year olds. Limit the bike capacity to 100cc only (so no yamaha 125z, rxz, lc135 or modenas dinamik 120 for them).. Make them wear high visibility vests. Make each of them have a designated guardian that would be heavily penalised if the kid broke any road laws. Each B3 “P” licence to last 3 years and would automatically upgraded to B2 after that. Then increase the normal B2 licence age to 18 years old.
Just use the bicycle. Healthier exercise for the young.
Then drivers complain those 100cc riders too slow blocking them to potong.
we are losing in the war against motorbikes. They should be reducing them and eventually banning them all together but instead are increasing these road nuisance.
So I guess you prefer the traffic jams to get worse or are you willing to take the lousy public transport?
nothing new here. We always find ways to legalise the illegals. from illegal bangla to illegal rempit. Suddenly the stats next year show improvement.
At the age of 15 what do they even know about responsibility what more responsibility on the road not only to yourself but to the rest of the road users?
So what the use of bicycle lane that been made?
Go ride bicycle for 15 years old. More healthy lifestyle
It is already a known fact that over 90,000 students are riding to school and who knows where else without license! The parents should 1st be hauled up and punished for allowing their child to use the bike withou license. Before we even contemplate issuing license at whatever age…education must 1st be implimented into the system to inculcate safety 1st….Not rempit 1st. The general road users do not care if this current issue is for the students convenience…wrong means wrong. Reprimand when the culprits then see if the parents will dare let their child on the bike without license…but now the police just get kopi money from them so how to solve!
The authorities failed to curb Mat Rempits so it was ‘legalised’ by given a venue to race. Now they are trying to lower the legal age to obtain a license because of the inability to curb underaged riding. You can see how law-making is being done in this country. What’s next? You wonder. Total incompetence. Real sad.
Tan Sri,I have high respect on you when it comes to safety at work place.Pls don’t start giving unconstructive comments like these.Lowering the age limit to 15 yrs(16 yrs is already too low)is unacceptable.They shouldn’t be given the responsibility to handle a motorcycle at a young age in the 1st place!!
Sometimes kids ride those bikes better than a big boy though.
Well, this is another showcase of how Malaysia has deteriorated. If the statistics are not in their favour, the gov will change the rules, or move the goal posts.
E.g. crime rate high, then police will not record the cases, so crime rate go down.
E.g. Mat rempit cases out of hand, so “legalize” them, so they are no longer a statistical eyesore.
E.g. Our education system is laughable, so lower the passing rate to show we have more passes or “A”s.
E.g. Problem with child sex, so make legal child marriages to hide problem.
Now, we lower the age of getting licenses so that it would appear we do not have a problem with underage drivers.
Why not? We legalized corruption and money laundering too. Might have done so for more severe crimes too… but only time will tell.
A kid doesn’t need a license if he/she want to rempit, they should be educated also making the punishment harsher, if they get caught then they’ll will be ban from making a license for 5 years, this should make them worried, I know teenagers nowadays having access to bikes almost like a bicycle especially at kampung
The increase of amount for motor accident is 10000% compare last yr..the age that most of them is 15-16..BERNAMA
Lets use old school method. Bicycle is the way to go. Teach the childrean green technology. Make them fit. We use to cycle 5km no problem. I cycle 20km a day today before go to work. Okay 20km withthe road bike. But when I was kids 2,3,4km is nithing it was fun too. Never thought of owning a motorcycle. Old school is still the best school.
24km? Sampai sekolah ketiak pun masam bro.
Kesian, Malaysia negara mundur. Sekolah tak cukup, terpaksa merempit lebih 10km nak ke sekolah…
How bout reducing it further to 13 so that they can ride their motorcycles to school in their secondary years.
So 15 can get motor license?