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It is alarming that people are generalizing all motorcyclists are evil.
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Every motorcycle crash or motorcycle-related happening is being sensationalized.
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We’ve caught misbehaving car drivers on our GoPro.
You only have to check out the comments for the posts and see just how ignorant the Malaysian public can be when it comes to motorcycles. Even some non-motorcycle related senior journalists have joined the fray of criticizing motorcycles without one iota of research. Well, we’ve got GoPro videos to prove that misbehaving car drivers are equally at fault in causing motorcycle accidents. But these are only two of the most blatant that we’ve recorded on a daily basis.
Before we proceed further, we would like to say that we are not saying that all motorcyclists are saints and all car drivers are maniacs. Truth is, there are always the nut behind the handlebar or steering wheel. I see the same kind of bad driving and riding behaviours regardless when I ride or drive.
VIDEO 1
This was shot during a convoy to the East Coast. The truck squeezed in front of me from the right without as so much a signal, much less checking to see if his left was clear.
I pointed to the GoPro mounted to my helmet to warn his off. But he still kept shoving his way in.
He went from the rightmost lane to the leftmost lane without signal, before overtaking a lorry without signaling. The driver kept looking straight ahead at all times.
VIDEO 2
This maniac driver in the red Proton Saga could not wait for the motorcycles to overtake a few vehicles. He resorted to overtaking on the emergency lane.
I had to warn him off, in case he surprised another vehicle to swerve into the path of the convoy.
If you think the convoy hogged the overtaking lane, we were back in the left lane in 30 seconds. We did not ride the entire way in the right lane as one convoy did.
CONCLUSION
Malaysian road users must find a way to co-exist instead of generalizing and pointing the finger at an entire group.
Besides that, the majority of vehicle owners, including bikers, know only the basics of handling their vehicles and not much else. Although the initiative for self-improvement lies within the individual, almost no one is willing to attend advanced riding or driving classes. The only way around this conundrum is for the authorities to make it mandatory. Many advanced countries have done so. Student who graduated will be given discounts on insurance and other goodies.
We also recommend that every motorcyclist be equipped with a video recording device. There are affordable ones in the market besides the top-of-the-line GoPro Hero 7 Black.
In the meantime, however, let’s live and let live. Stop riding and driving like the entire road leads to the finish line at SIC.
