I don't believe that the age of drivers and their lack of maturity, as suggested by a member of the Malaysian Road Safety Council (MRSC) Brig Jen Dr Mohd Zin Bidin, is necessarily the main reason why the road accident rate is so high among youngsters.

I am a 33-year-old woman car driver, and I think that other contributing factors are just as important, such as:

  • the extent of corruption at the Road Transport Department, which is linked to corrupt driving instructors.

  • many motorcyclists don't even have licences, let alone having taken lessons.

  • the 'monkey see, monkey do' scenario, where parents drive badly and recklessly and the kids grow up emulating them.

  • the lack of enforcement, particularly in and around squatter and less privileged areas, where 'no helmet' and 'no bike lights' situations are incredibly common (however, I do know that our police force is extremely overworked and underpaid).

  • the lack of will to book motorcyclists, with cops preferring to take bribes.

  • and, of course, the lack of experience in driving is a factor, although there are terrible drivers of all ages and from all walks of life.