More dangers lurk on our roads

 

The jail sentence imposed on 27-year-old clerk Sam Ke Ting has ignited a series of debates and discussions on the safety of children on the road and the responsibility of parents.

She was driving along Jalan Lingkaran Dalam in Johor Bahru at 3.20am on Feb 18, 2017, when she crashed into a group of teenagers riding modified bicycles known as basikal lajak. Eight teenagers, aged 13 to 16, died.

But what has been largely ignored is another frightening situation with equally alarming statistics: Two-wheelers with combustion-engine below 150cc or popularly known as kapcai motorcycles have become killer machines and children as young as six have been killed or maimed when at the handles.

Data compiled by the police reveal some astounding figures: Over 12 years from 2009 until last year, 2,688 deaths were recorded in the six to 15 age group riding motorcycles. The figure is more than thrice, at 9,291 deaths for the 16-20 age group.

Section 39 (1) of the Road Transport Act (RTA) 1987 states that no person under 1the age of 16 shall drive a motor vehicle on a road.

Section 39 (5) of the RTA states: “Any person who drives, or causes or permits any person to drive, a motor vehicle in contravention of this section shall be guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding RM2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both”.

A total of 2,357 summonses were issued by police under Section 39 (5) against vehicle owners and parents from 2009 until 2020 or an average of 196 summonses per year or just 16 per month.

From 2018 up to August last year, 4,935 offenders were charged in court under the same section by Road Transport Department (JPJ).

Writers Shahrim Tamrin and Liu Honglin who authored a special report under Kini Academy’s investigative journalism programme interviewed parents, experts and the authorities. (The report has since been published by Sinar Harian.)

At the launch of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 for the Malaysia chapter in October last year, the head of mission and WHO representative for Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore, Dr Jacqueline Lo Ying-Ru said road traffic injury accounts for 14 percent of deaths among children aged five to 14 years in Malaysia, “making it the leading cause of child mortality in Malaysia”.

The writers concluded that the situation has arisen because of the “couldn’t care less” (tidak apa) attitude of the parents and society which has accepted and allowed children and teenagers to ride motorbikes without any formal training or qualifications.

The report quoted Roziah Aziz, a former Penang Road Safety Department official as saying that the attitude of some parents must change insisting that safety culture is yet to be embedded into their minds.

“Some parents argue it is better to allow their underage or unlicensed children to ride motorcycles to their school than them not going to school at all,” she said, relating her experience organising advocacy programmes in schools, especially during the Parents and Teachers Association events.

Adults should be held responsible

Child protection advocates and the road safety fraternity are calling for the government to strictly enforce the law against parents and vehicle owners in view of the rising number of road crashes among underage bikers.

They want the adults to be held responsible for allowing their unqualified children to ride motorcycles of their parents. Roziah was also quoted referring to “unpleasant reactions” from parents when the authorities collaborated with schools to nab unlicensed and underage bikers.

“The parents were upset and furious with the police and Road Transport Department officers after their kids were detained and their kapcai impounded. The parents questioned the action taken by the enforcement officers since the motorcycles are their children's mode of transport to school,” she said.

Many parents prohibited their children from going to school as a sign of protest, especially against the school principal or disciplinary teacher for reporting to the enforcement agencies about the norm of students riding motorcycles without a licence and with no safety helmet to school.

Following Sam’s basikal lajak court case, there have been calls to hold parents responsible for the conduct of their children.

Section 31 (1) (a) Child Act 2001 states that any person who has in his or her care a child that is being neglected, abandoned or exposed the child in a manner likely to cause him/her physical or emotional injury can be fined not exceeding RM50,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 20 years or to both.

But such calls have been pooh-poohed by the authorities because most want to be politically correct, especially the politicians because elections are around the corner.

Sometimes, you must be cruel to be kind.

Over 12,000 children have died over 12 years - about 1,000 per year or about three per day. These deaths could have been prevented.

To reduce deaths among children, the authorities must enforce the law without fear or favour. Let us not wait for another series of tragedies and wake up to the bitter truth that young people are turning motorcycles into killer machines and also endangering other road users. - Mkini

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R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist and writes on bread-and-butter issues. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.