Road safety activist urges tighter oversight of RXZ gathering

Road safety activist Shahrim has called for tighter oversight of the annual RXZ motorcycle gathering, citing a worsening death toll linked to the event.

He said a three-year trend showed two deaths recorded in 2024, five last year and 11 this year — a pattern that worsens each time the event is held.

"The focus should not be only on enforcement action after road crashes occur, but on comprehensive risk management — before, during and after the event," he said in a statement.

During the event, police seized 222 motorcycles for offences including exhaust modifications, registration plates not conforming to specifications, missing side mirrors, riding without a valid licence, expired road tax, no insurance and underage riding.

Shahrim said every edition of the event must be followed by a comprehensive safety audit covering the number and location of crashes, timing, causes, rider profiles, motorcycle-related factors and the effectiveness of enforcement.

"The audit report must be published before the following year's event so that improvements are made based on evidence — not assumptions or reactions after repeated tragedies," he said.

He also said police and the Road Transport Department (JPJ) should publish a detailed breakdown of each crash and each motorcycle seized, categorised into unregistered machines, those registered but modified, and those fully compliant with specifications.

Authorities' data, he said, showed that most seized motorcycles had technical safety issues rather than purely documentation problems. JPJ, he added, must distinguish between mechanically standard motorcycles that had lost their grants or had outdated records, and those structurally modified beyond safety standards.

The first category could be considered for a simplified administrative regularisation subject to a full Puspakom inspection, while the second should undergo mandatory Puspakom checks, with owners required to restore the machines to original factory specifications or have their registration cancelled.

Shahrim proposed stationing enforcement personnel at strategic points such as major highway entrances and around Kuala Terengganu throughout the gathering, prioritising high-risk offences including riding without a valid licence, road tax or insurance.

He further urged authorities to issue travel planning advisories at least two weeks ahead, as done during festive seasons, to inform participants of peak hours, alternative routes and recommended rest stops — noting that continuous riding without adequate rest contributed to several fatal crashes.

Other proposals included training marshals and convoy leaders with RXZ clubs and organisers, random noise testing by JPJ and Puspakom, and a review by the Department of Environment of emission limits for old two-stroke motorcycles.