PETALING JAYA: Motorcyclists are on the radar now with transport experts calling for more safety measures since statistics showed that most road deaths involved bikers.

       “This could be partially attributed to an increase in the food and other delivery services,” said Universiti Putra Malaysia Road Safety Research Centre head Law Teik Hua.

       These riders, he said, could be chasing time, resulting in more traffic violations.

       Apart from enhancing a motorcyclist’s visibility through the use of reflective sticker on the helmet, motorcycle and the delivery box, he said p-hailing companies should consider additional safe-riding training, like defensive training and road hazard perception training.

       “The authorities and those in the industry should collaborate with these companies to monitor their motorcyclists’ travel behaviour, specifically during food delivery via their mobile system,” he said.

       On Wednesday, a year-long nationwide road safety campaign was launched to promote safe driving behaviour.

       Themed “#steadybrader”, it is organised by Persatuan Insurans Am Malaysia and the Malaysian Takaful Association.

       During the launch, Road Transport Department Enforcement Division director Datuk Lokman Jamaan said human negligence such as speeding and driving against traffic was one of the main factors that led to road accidents.

       Bukit Aman statistics showed that there were 17 road fatalities daily in 2019. This fell to 13 deaths daily in 2020.

       In 2019, there were a total of 6,167 fatalities, out of which 3,118 deaths involved motorcyclists.

       Last year’s figures are not out yet but Bukit Aman has indicated that the rate has returned to pre-pandemic levels.

       It was reported that traffic flow had returned to about 4.6 million vehicles a day on 30 major highways compared to 200,000 and 300,000 a day during the lockdown period.

       When contacted yesterday, Law said there must be visible enforcement against errant riders.

       “There should also be an increase in the construction and use of inclusive motorcycle lanes at proper locations to reduce the ‘mix’ between motorcycles and other vehicles,” he added.

       Driving expert YS Khong said the insurance industry and enforcement authorities should focus on p-hailing companies to better educate riders on road safety.

       Khong, a former rally champion, also said the syllabus for driving test should be revamped.

       He said the present system would guide individuals to “pass” their driving test but not learn to be good drivers.