Motorcycle safety in Malaysia

Motorcycle safety is a major issue in Malaysia because nearly 60 % of road accident fatalities are due to motorcycle crashes. Motorcycles are the main mode of transport in Malaysia, constituting about half of the total registered motor vehicles from 1998 to 2003. Vehicle ownership increased by about 40 % over the six-year period, while road accident fatalities dropped from 6.28 per 10,000 vehicles in 1998 to 4.90 per 10,000 vehicles in 2003. Over that period, the death toll of motorcycle riders per 10,000 motor vehicles decreased from 3.73 to 2.77. Among the states of Malaysia, Perlis and Terengganu had the most number of motorcycle accident fatalities per 10,000 motor vehicles. In contrast, Wilayah Persekutuan had less than 1 death per 10,000 motor vehicles, the lowest recorded by any state in Malaysia. A survey was conducted to investigate helmet wearing among the suburban residents of Kuala Lumpur. The study shows that 71.4 % of female motorcyclists and 70 % of male motorcyclists wore helmets. It also reveals that 89 % of old motorcyclists (25 years old and above) complied with the helmet wearing law, whereas only 48 % of young motorcyclists (below 25 years old) did so. This indicates that young riders are more likely to break the law of helmet wearing compared to older riders. Hence, young riders should be the prime target of any motorcycle safety programme in Malaysia