So why are manufacturers of small scooters and kapchais not including airbags in their products. They should include them but for some reasons beyond price, engineering and common sense, the need for airbags in small 2 wheel vehicles is not a priority with the government and manufacturers.
Here are the possible 4 reasons that we have researched on.
- It is not yet a mandatory required feature by the road transport department in all countries.
- It adds cost to the price of the scooter/kapchai by as much as RM5,000. When a kapchai can be bought for less than RM4,000 it makes no economic sense for the lower income group.
- The deployment of an airbag in an unwanted situation could throw the rider of the scooter/kapchai as riders do not use a seatbelt.
- There is no place for the airbag system to be installed as scooters/kapchais have limited space. That is why you see motorcycle airbag system installed in large touring bikes and cruisers only.
