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PETALING JAYA, Malaysia – The Malaysian government is contemplating mandatory anti-lock braking systems (ABS) for motorcycles above 1500cc sold in that country, according to numerous international media reports.
Malaysian Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said on Tuesday (May 24th) a study will be conducted to determine if this mandate should be promulgated.
The reports indicated the study will be a joint effort of the Transport Ministry and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros). Previous work by Miros has revealed that the inclusion of ABS on such motorcycles could reduced fatalities and crashes by up to 30 percent.
Dr. Wee, sounding like the study would lead to the mandate, said it would be completed within approximately six months, with implementation of such rules within two years after the study’s completion.
“The same time period will be used to amend existing rules,” said Dr. Wee. “When ABS is mandatory later, it is hoped that the level of motorcycle safety will be increased and further reduce the probability of deaths due to road accidents involving motorcycle users in Malaysia,”
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He also said according to accident data from the police and analysis by Miros, there were over 6,000 deaths in 2019 and over 60 percent of that involved motorcycles, which he described as “very worrying.”