KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Rights Commission has urged for stricter laws to protect children on the roads.
Suhakam Children's Commissioner Dr Farah Nini Dusuki said there was a rising number of accidents involving underaged motorcycle riders, with a total of 2,900 accidents reported involving children aged six to 15, between 2008 and 2021.
"Among these, 87 cases involved children between six and 10 years old who died while riding motorcycles, not as passengers," she said at a press conference yesterday.
Farah Nini expressed her concern over the idea of children under 16 riding motorcycles, stressing that although these accidents continue to happen, they don't receive the attention they deserve.
"If these deaths were due to Covid-19, they would have sparked an urgent response, but because they are traffic accidents, they are often overlooked," she said in a report by the Malay Mail.
"Rather than focusing on the children involved, we should address the number of deaths caused by underage motorcycle riding and what can be done to prevent it," she added.
She emphasised the need to strengthen laws to prevent children from riding motorcycles illegally and to ensure their safety.
On Aug 17, Children's Commissioner Dr Farah Nini Dusuki said parents and guardians must be held accountable for failing to fulfil their responsibilities, following the deaths of two teenagers who collided while performing bicycle stunts and a toddler who drowned after a three-wheeled bicycle fell into an irrigation canal.
She said the children's deaths were not simply accidents or fated as they could have been avoided with proper supervision from parents and guardians.
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/08/1092929/suhakam-negligent-par...