Raising minimum age for motorcycle licence won’t reduce crashes, say activists

 

An average of 10 motorcyclists were killed every day from 2014 to 2020, with four between the ages of 16 and 25.

PETALING JAYA: Two activists have disagreed with a transport consultant’s suggestion that the minimum age to possess a motorcycle licence should be raised from 16 to 21.

They expressed doubt that the move would reduce the large number of road accidents involving motorcyclists.

 Alliance for Safe Community chairman Lee Lam Thye and Road Crash Victims Association of Malaysia founder Azlan Sani Zawawi said that instead of blaming the young motorcyclists, the failure of road users to observe the rules was the main reason for road accidents.

Lee said the authorities should focus on disciplining users as accidents did not take into account age, especially involving groups that tend to violate road rules such as illegal motorcycle racers, or Mat Rempit.

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Lee Lam Thye.

“There is no point in raising the age limit for a motorcycle licence to 21 years if compliance to road rules is still low. This should be resolved first,” he told FMT.

He was commenting on a FMT report in which transport consultant Rosli Azad Khan suggested that the government raise the minimum age for eligibility for a motorcycle licence from 16 to 21.

Rosli said 16-year-olds were too young to ride motorcycles and called for the immediate cancellation of the “regressive policy”.

Statistics released by the Bukit Aman traffic enforcement investigation department had shown a total of 25,958 deaths involving motorcyclists and pillion riders from 2014 to 2020.

The statistics showed that an average of 10 motorcyclists were killed every day, with four between the ages of 16 and 25.

Azlan Sani Zawawi.

Lee said the authorities needed to enforce the law strictly, especially in areas at high risk of accidents, and maintain roads so that they were in good condition.

“Roads should be repaired immediately when complaints are received. Local authorities also need to increase the number of lamp posts on dangerous routes,” he said.

Azlan, better known as Lando Zawawi, said raising the age for possession of a motorcycle licence to 21 would burden many people who use motorcycles to get to work.

“If many people think that 16 years old is not mature enough, then I suggest raising the age to 18,” he said.- FMT