• The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM – Polis DiRaja Malaysia) arrested six parents over the weekend for letting their children ride basikal lajak.

• The parents could face up to RM 20,000 fine and/or up to 5 years in jail.

• Police have been cracking down on the activity but this is the first time parents were arrested.

The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM – Polis DiRaja Malaysia) arrested six parents over the weekend for letting their children ride basikal lajak.

PDRM have warned last month that parents who allow their children on such contraptions could face fines up to RM 20,000 and/or jail up to 5 years. The measure was put in place after a car crashed into a group of basikal lajak riders on a highway at 3am. The accident took the lives of 8 youngsters.

The police had cracked down on the errand riders since January this year and nabbed some 116, all aged under 18 years old.

The latest crackdown in Ampang caught six kids aged between 11 to 16 years old. Police then hauled in their parents and legal guardians to the Pandan Indah police station.

Fines were handed to the children and their bicycles confiscated with accordance to Section 112(3) of the Road Transport Act 1987. The parents were charged under Section 33 of the Child Act 2001 for negligence but were released on police bail.

Police say that these cases will be handed to the deputy public prosecutor (DPP) for further action. The parents could very well face hefty fines and/or jail time.

Basikal lajak refers to bicycles that are modified to ape (for want of a better word) the ergonomics of sport and race motorcycles i.e. head down, arse up in the air for better aerodynamics. The riders then race them downhill using gravity and pedal power. The bikes are usually devoid of brakes. The real problem is that the riders would usually congregate in built up areas, endangering themselves and other road users.

Source: World of Buzz
Photos: China Press