The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) has initiated a new survey, hoping the findings will provide feedback to reduce the number of accidents and deaths on roads.
Teaming up with 3M USA, the Motorcycle Rider Visibility survey will see 100 participants taking part in gauging the issue of visibility of riders.
The participants – car drivers with a valid driving licence – will each undergo a three-hour session between June 10 and 30 at the Miros office in Kajang.
It is understood the survey is among the initiatives to address the high accident rate involving motorcyclists. Miros had previously conducted studies on the safety of motorcyclists with its findings presented to stakeholders.
Miros also initiated another survey to look into the socio-economic characteristics of weekend riders who are mostly big bikers.
Among the questions asked are the type of motorcycle(s) used, distance covered especially during weekends and if motorcyclists wear full gear when they ride.
There are some 15 million registered and licensed motorcyclists in the country with 92 per cent using bikes that are 150cc or lower.
Police records showed there were 6,284 deaths on Malaysian roads in 2018 with 4,128 being motorcyclists. The number was higher in 2017 with 6,740 deaths – 3,991 of them bikers. In 2016, a total of 7,152 died on the roads with 4,077 of them being motorcyclists.
While the death toll of road users has dropped in recent years, those riding smaller capacity bikes remain the most vulnerable.
