Tighten lane splitting law to reduce motorcyclist deaths, says analyst

 

While lane splitting and filtering are legal in many countries, they are subject to strict regulations.

PETALING JAYA: A policy analyst has called for stricter legislation on lane splitting to reduce motorcyclist fatalities, pointing to driver and rider behaviour as the problem rather than road conditions.

Speaking to FMT, Karisma Putera Rahman of think tank Bait Al-Amanah said Malaysian road conditions were on par with “a lot of European countries”.

“We’re on par with the UK. Driver and rider behaviour is the problem.

“There’s no clear law on lane splitting. That’s why we have motorcycles zipping in and out,” he said.

Lane splitting is a commonly practised traffic manoeuvre where motorcyclists travel between traffic lanes moving in the same direction. Filtering, meanwhile, sees riders moving between lanes of slow-moving or stopped vehicles, usually at red lights.

According to the 2021 World Health Organization report, Malaysia’s road traffic death rate per 100,000 people was 22.5, far higher than that of countries like Japan (2.24) and Switzerland (2.6).

The 2022 Malaysia Road Safety Plan, published by the transport ministry, reported an average annual fatality rate of 6,540 over the decade leading up to the publication. Motorcyclists accounted for around 60% of the total reported deaths during this period.

Karisma said while lane splitting and filtering were legal in many countries, they were subject to strict regulations. For example, lane splitting is illegal in Germany, while filtering is only allowed in stationary traffic.

He suggested combining legislation with a more comprehensive driver education programme to instruct riders on safe driving practices, adding that the current curriculum does not cover topics such as lane splitting and filtering.

Expand motorcycle lanes nationwide

Rosli Khan.

Meanwhile, road safety expert Rosli Khan suggested that the government expand motorcycle lanes nationwide, as they are currently limited to specific areas such as the Federal Highway and Putrajaya.

He added that Malaysia should implement policies similar to those in Indonesia and China, which prohibit motorcyclists from using highways. These countries record lower traffic death rates, with Indonesia at 11.3 and China at 17.4 per 100,000 compared with Malaysia’s 22.5.

“It is not safe for motorcyclists to ride alongside vehicles with four or more wheels on the highway as everyone is operating at high speeds,” Rosli told FMT.

He also emphasised the importance of combining a policy with consistent enforcement, urging the government to refrain from adopting a populist approach and providing leniency to traffic offenders.

“There should be no room for leniency or laxity in enforcement, such as offering discounts to offenders.

“This approach contradicts the efforts of those who abide by the rules and fulfil their obligations,” he said, adding that it could lead to a lack of seriousness among traffic users about regulations. - FMT