Dedicated rules are needed for motorcycle convoys in Malaysia, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) road safety research centre head associate professor Law Teik Hua has said, reported New Straits Times.
Existing laws under the Road Transport Act did not contain specific provisions governing the size, formation or activities of motorcycle convoys on public roads and highways, Law said, commenting on an accident that involved a motorcycle convoy on the East Coast Expressway 1 near the Jabor toll plaza.
“It may be reasonable to develop rules concerning the maximum size of a convoy, minimum spacing, presence of convoy marshals and safety briefings prior to large-scale rides,” Law said, calling for a multi-pronged approach that combines regulations, enforcement and education.
“Regulators could develop official safety guidelines for large-scale motorcycle convoys recommending the maximum size of the convoy, breaking it into smaller sub-convoys, minimum distances between riders and the use of convoy marshals,” he said.
Other contributing factors were excessive speed, insufficient distance between riders, poor lane discipline, differences in riding abilities among participants, inadequate route planning and rider fatigue, according to the associate professor.
Law warned that a single crash involving one motorcyclist could trigger a chain reaction, and he said that riders in large convoys often maintained shorter distances than recommended to preserve group formation, which could give the motorcyclists more difficulty to react when faced with sudden braking, or a fallen rider.
“Even at speeds ranging from 90 km/h to 110 km/h, a one-second reaction time means a rider would have travelled between 25 metres and 30 metres,” Law said.
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All of this rules will end-up bullshit…. ppl will start blaming Antholoke after all! the mind-set is the very first thing that every malaysian have to change, even if u r not the convoy bullshit participant, u r still indeed a street user and u r more or less, have and do have cross the illegal line on the road, even if its moving or parking…. so, the mind-set is the very first thing everyone have to change…. coz u cant always hope for the gov will set up this and that, they don’t know a shit, they just know how to do packaging, publicity…. and then when something terrible happened, then act like they care abit a few weeks, then back to usual!
tak payah rule byk, patuh had laju dan jarak antara kenderaan pon dah cukup
Not sure how to effect this but the answer is obvious, for all riders (and drivers) to be alert and aware of the surroundings, be patient and polite, maintain appropriate gaps, proper use of signals. Lastly reduce the speed differential especially when traffic is slowing down or standstill. Jeremy Clarkson used to say ”Speed has never killed anyone. Suddenly becoming stationary, that’s what gets you.”
Ban motorcycle convoys altogether, problem solved. They’re a nuisance to other law abiding road users, period!