More die from road accidents than Covid-19, six football fields to bury dead bikers every year – Zahid

More die from road accidents than Covid-19, six football fields to bury dead bikers every year – Zahid

We know that many lose their lives on the road from the many accidents that we see in the news and sometimes, with our own eyes. But there’s nothing like some context to really drive home the point that road accidents is a huge killer in Malaysia. Remember Covid-19, the fear its virus created and the amount of disruption to normal life? Of course you do.

To highlight how deadly road accidents are, deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi pointed out that there are more people who die on the roads than the total Covid-19 death toll. “This is why more needs to be done to increase public awareness as the main form of prevention, especially when looking at road accident statistics,” he said at the Conference on Asia Road Safety (CARS) 2024 in Putrajaya yesterday, reported by Astro Awani.

“Malaysia is among the Southeast Asian countries facing this issue, especially involving motorcycle riders. Although the death rate per 100,000 people came down from 27% in in year 2000 to 22.5% in 2019, it’s still among the highest in the world,” added Zahid, who chairs the cabinet committee on road safety and traffic congestion. Motorcycle riders and their pillions made up 65% of road accident deaths last year.

More die from road accidents than Covid-19, six football fields to bury dead bikers every year – Zahid

He proceeded with another chilling illustration to ram home the point – there are over 6,000 road accident deaths involving motorcyclists every year, and the burial space required for that is almost the size of six football fields. That’s a lot of graves.

One move designed to reduce this is ABS being mandatory for motorcycles with an engine capacity of 150cc and above, beginning January 1, 2025. At the same event, Zahid also said that the government plans to reduce the speed limit in school zones by 10 km/h to 30 km/h, and might expand this to other areas if the move bears fruit.

The Bagan Datuk MP said that the responsibility to reduce road accidents doesn’t just fall on the transport ministry alone, but it should be a joint effort among various agencies. He praised the proactive efforts of Perkeso in encouraging workers who use motorcycles to contribute to the social security fund, which is important in ensuring the welfare of bikers should they get into an accident.

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • Kea Was on Sep 03, 2024 at 4:19 pm

    Must be because of drink driving since that previous Wee says so to satisfy his master – Oh Wait that is another fantasy story.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 15
    • ilmu Hisap Gam on Sep 03, 2024 at 7:56 pm

      Ban all kapcai and replaced with electric scooter max top speed less than 60 KM/h.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 2
  • MiTarik on Sep 03, 2024 at 4:44 pm

    plot twist,
    quarantine(ban) all motorbike – by:

    1. introduce EVbike lane
    2. EVbike top speed 30km/h
    3. trade in Subsidy RM5k

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 3
    • Explosive comment on Sep 03, 2024 at 8:00 pm

      Electric scooter commutes at safe velocity no more than 60 km/h, Those vietkong rides already modified for higher speed albeit higher risk of battery fire.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 2
  • How many percent are mat rempit? Of course, all mat tempit were staying at home n less accidents during covid

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 19 Thumb down 2
    • Poor enforcement...a clear and present danger on Sep 03, 2024 at 6:27 pm

      YB DPM is a big cc biker.He knows the danger no matter how careful,once u r on the road.
      No matter how many newer rules like ABS r made mandatory..lets go back to basic issue…POOR AND INCONSISTENT ENFORCEMENT.You go to any sekolah ,morning.
      Dad ,mum,son,daughter all on a kapchai doing stunts,zooming in out traffic to reach school early.
      Then u have the rempits who wish to die young and the recalcitrant parents who buat tak tahu.
      Then basikal lajaks…non stop action.
      By 2025,u may need 8 football fields to bury the dead motorcyclists.
      Time to do more PREVENTION…NOT DAMAGE CONTROL.
      Prevention may reduce it to 3 to 4 football fields needed as funeral grounds.Mr DPM.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 1
  • Riding Against Traffic on Sep 03, 2024 at 5:51 pm

    Right after pandamic, mass increase of motorcyclists going against traffic… most of the time, make the move before they notice/realised something on its way… barulah oh-ho, sorry, tapi dah jatuhlah…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 1
  • Riding attitudes! Car drivers have to worry of bikers’ life (their own cars)!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 1
  • Sam choi on Sep 03, 2024 at 6:29 pm

    Most of the time it’s always racing, Those parents should be responsible. Instead of teaching their sons and daughters to ride bikes properly and wear a helmet, they just let the sons and daughters ride their bikes how they want and when get into an accident everyone will try to blame the driver without realizing that here in Malaysia bikers will just cut you from out of nowhere and bikers like to come soooo close of the rear of the car….it’s like they know the car can brake anytime and yet they still want to do it…. To those parents who want their children to ride bikes pls teach them the proper way to ride bike and DON’T just let them ride how they want…. For me I’m thankful to have my parents to teach me how to ride bike…. And now whenever there is traffic jams, the bike I ride can come in handy.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
  • The condition will not improve with the current super bias traffic rule to “protect” riders.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 1
  • Not difficult to see why that’s the case. You just look at how motorcyclists lane split all the time and in very dangerous situations… it’s ridiculous. And the food delivery riders just run red lights like it’s very normal to do so.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 1
  • I wonder about the statistics on cause of fatal accidents involving motorcyclists.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
  • DonkeyKong on Sep 03, 2024 at 10:42 pm

    Only six football fields worth? That’s not quite enough to weed out all the road menace motorcyclists to make this a better country.

    P.S. Anthony Loke should use motor accident casualty figures next time to tell MH370 next-of-kin to quit whining and start living life normally again. By now the “Remember MH370” movements have made more sob stories and drama than the survivors of Auschwitz.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 3
  • Gila riders on Sep 04, 2024 at 12:44 am

    I am not surprise at all, look at how most of the biker riding their bike. The laws don’t applicable to them ! They think the empty space between lanes are theirs! and when a car try to change lane they will be offended! Red lights for them are X’mas Deco! Ride against the traffic biasa..la Speeding along heavy traffic, Riding with 3 to 4 persons on a bike ! What are our traffic police and JPJ enforcement doing ? Ban bikes on the highways! If we don’t enforce the laws sooner or later we need 10 football fields! Pls do something now ASAP!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 1
  • To combat this, it’s easy. Make regulations for motorcycles the same as cars. No more protection for motorcycles. No more motorcycles above cars when involved in accidents. When a motorcycle hit a car and it is his fault, make it so that the car can claim from their insurance and the rider has to be responsible to settle the summon. Insurance rate for bikers can be adjusted, and NCD follows that of cars. Up to 55%.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
  • First thing they need to do is to enforce traffic light rules on these geniuses. Red is green, yellow is green, green is also green.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
  • dugong on Sep 04, 2024 at 8:34 am

    Nature way of population control.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • Gomorrah on Sep 04, 2024 at 8:49 am

    At what point will these clowns realise that the necessary enforcement and discipline will have to override their political considerations? This has been worsening since the 90’s and is only getting worse. Either side claims they are champions of the majority cause but are happy to let them die like flies because they are too afraid to tackle this. And we wonder why so many underaged driving episodes have come to light recently. Gomen borek, rakyat rintik lah.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
  • Ben Yap on Sep 04, 2024 at 8:57 am

    Right, I get it… it’s time to form another Yayasan to help these bikers.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 3
  • religious man on Sep 04, 2024 at 9:19 am

    it is all god’s will.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • MakPakRempit on Sep 04, 2024 at 10:04 am

    Solution is easy lorrr. Just raise RON95 to market value and booommm. No more rempits on the road. They will think twice to choose between oil and rokok. Go drive to Thailand. You see no rempits as oil is market values maaaa.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 2
  • Laugh on Sep 04, 2024 at 10:11 am

    6 Football fields eh?

    As per my father before me and his before him, I won’t let my children to ride nor obtain license to ride a motorcycle even if I’m too poor to buy a car for them.

    Yeah, the thrill and fun of riding a motorcycle comes from the danger of riding one.

    Look at the way motorcyclist rides especially those delivery bikes during peak hours and those on the highway in groups.
    It does make other drivers curse them morning afternoon evening and night.
    Maybe that’s why there’s annual 6 fields of them.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 2
  • FireAce on Sep 04, 2024 at 10:32 am

    No need so many “football fields”, just split into 2 groups, one group for victim of actual accidents, another group for rempits/reckless riders.

    Accident group get a proper burial like a human. The “rempits” group get send to incinerator and burn together with other trash to generate electricity, a green solution.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 1
  • Absolutely Bull Shyt. ABS does not save ppl life.. most of the accidents are self inflicted. motorcycle without proper maintenance/overly upgraded, challenge lorry, challenge traffic, challenge top speed, challenge whose ballz is ‘harder’.. and the other side, lack of sleep, lack of road awareness, lack of concentration, lack of health.. all these will put your life on the betting stage. live or die. ride responsibly please…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
  • anwar menang, rakyat dikencingkan on Sep 08, 2024 at 11:40 am

    Bravo UG gov…
    With the attitude of the motorcyclist, yet the UG gov auto upgrade B2 to B full license
    With this there are many youngsters who rempit will now buy bigger bikes but unfortunately do not have the will power or the mental agility to ride safely.
    Their rempit behaviour will kick in sooner..and more accidents will happen…
    All gov policies are not in the interest of the rakyat… its only for cronies to make money and get kickbacks from the cronies!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
 

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