Tales of Horror ~ the Malaysian Motorcyclist Again

With a global tagline, unstable and upward moving fuel prices seems to be pushing more drivers to the two wheels option. People who traveled by car before are now traveling by motorcycle more than ever before and it is a fact that every year more and more motorcycles are registered for road use (not to mention those that are not).

This really does not augur well for those that are still using the four wheels option.

We already have on the road, motorcyclists that weave in and out of traffic regardless whether stationary or moving, cut in dangerously in front of other moving traffic, nick and dent vehicles as they squeeze thru traffic, hog the fast lane, making sudden stops and turns, underage and without crash helmets (hmm...now why do we call the helmets, crash helmets?), a minority of street racer gangs and hoods, and the like. Then of course we also have other motorist who drive around like they are half crazed desperadoes.

We certainly need more effective ways to bring order to the situation.

Not - road safety advertisements on the telly or radio telling us things like motorcyclist uses a full lane (hence they rightfully travel in the middle of the lane), or always be observant of their presence (in other words, take care not to knock into them and they should have right of way), et cetera et cetera et cetera.

Yes. I did encounter an experience with the Malaysian Motorcyclist today. No. It was not a run-in type of an incident.

It was more on part of an observer as I was caught up early this morning in the rush hour traffic traveling towards the city like so many other Malaysians who need to work for a living. I was moving and stopping on the fast lane (of a four lane highway), also known as the Overtaking Lane, that had become a Learner's Lane with vehicles moving at a speed of even below 20km/hour. For every 4 wheels vehicle that attempted, I use the word "attempted" because some were intimidated and caused to fail, the fast moving and often speeding motorcyclist that was traveling in between this lane and the next were hogging the space in between the lanes. Aggressively beeping their horns and glancing back menacingly at the drivers of those four wheels that were attempting to change lanes. It is no wonder that the mentality of people in traffic whether non-moving, slow, or moving has degraded to a point not quite so unlike the proverbial dog-eat-dog situation.

Education is the key to a better life. In this particular situation - a correct education is needed.