The terrible condition of Malaysian roads are highlighted further with this most recent pothole related incident.
Potholes on Malaysian roads have once again been in the news recently. However, unlike the prior high-profile case involving a certain minister injuring himself after hitting a pothole, this time the terrible condition of Malaysian roads was actually responsible for the death of a motorcyclist.
According to a news report by The Star, this fatal accident involved a 75-year-old man who fell off his motorcycle due to hitting a pothole on the road early this morning. The victim, who has since been identified as Ho Yan Yee, had reportedly died at the scene of the accident.
Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) chief Asst Comm Zulkefly Yahya said in a statement that ‘preliminary investigations showed that the motorcyclist was riding over a pothole, leading to the victim falling to the ground’. He goes on to state this accident took place on Jalan Tengah, heading towards Mid Valley, and that they were notified about this unfortunate incident around 7.30 a.m. today (3rd January).
While this death may be an extreme example of a pothole related encounter, it is unfortunately not an outlier though. In fact, there has been a not-insignificant amount of reports whereby cyclists or motorcyclists sustained minor to severe injuries, as a result of a coming together with these holes in the road.
Furthermore, many Malaysians motorists would probably have encountered the misfortune of having bent rims, flat tyres and knackered suspension due to having accidentally driven into one of these giant crevices that are commonplace on Malaysian roads. Some potholes have even been known to causes accidents, as drivers swerve to avoid these tire-popping hazards on the road.
Now having said all that, it would probably be a fair assessment to say that the majority of reasonable Malaysians are not actually demanding for ribbons of perfectly laid tarmac over the length and breadth of this nation. What most motorists in the country would like to see though is for the relevant authorities to not only take proactive measures to fix these potholes as quickly as possible, but perhaps instead invest in the building of better roads in the first place so these potholes will never come to be.
After all, where is all the road tax money going to, if not to build and maintain the roads that we are being taxed to drive on?
