As I write this post on the importance of wearing a motorcycle helmet, an accident has just happened at the junction near my house ( junction of Kelawei Road and College Lane), in front of Gurney Plaza. There was a loud bang and we are pretty used to hearing accidents along that stretch.I first saw this white guy on his Malaysian made scooter stopping at the Pulau Tikus traffic lights at the junction of Burmah Road and Cantoment Road. He was kinda old and plum. I figured he must be a tourist and not familiar with our road regulations as he did not wear a helmet. He could have forgotten to wear his helmet or he could have been too ignorant / blur to notice that other motorcyclist had their helmets on. We Malaysians gave him that stare like are you mad as he was doing it in broad daylight without fear of the police.
The second incident(also at the same junction), two guys who work for Kim Gary Restaurant(they were wearing Kim Gary T's) stopped on motorbike at the junction. The rider had a helmet but the pillion was not wearing. I figured he must have just lost it or it was an emergency. I was on the way to Ruby's house using Codrington Avenue and a man stopped these two guys on motorbike. I was not sure if he was a plain clothes police man but he was giving them a lecture / warning on the dangers of riding without a helmet as he was pointing at the pillion.
I do not understand how people could be so ignorant of their safety as a motorist by not wearing a helmet. Trust me, I drive a car and also I fear of being hit by other vehicles although that is the risk we have to take on the road.
With the active clubbing scenes here in Penang, there is a high possibility of drunk drivers or driving under the influence. There are some who forget fear and drive really fast and others like me who keep a low profile and drive slow after a few drinks to not create any attention. I ensure my Myvi spotlights are even off! Haha! I guess driving slow if you had some liquor is a good idea as our reflexes tend to be slower.
I try hard to drive safe especially at nights. I hate to drive late nights especially weekends and I do it only if I must(I never like Ruby to drive home late so I prefer to send).
What more than the safety of a motorbike during late nights and rainy days? I am not saying accidents could be avoided if you wear a helmet but it certainly provides some minimal protection to your head rather than nothing.
My fear for motorcyclist being a former cyclist is being rammed from behind. Riding a motorcycle in Penang is a wise thing considering how near things are, narrower roads and it's cheaper to operate a motorbike. However, we should not jeapordise our safety.
Remember, we can be as careful as we want but are others as careful as us?
