Automatic motorcycle licence upgrade: Dangerous, not all riders can handle big bikes - Experts

SHAH ALAM – The latest proposal of automatic upgrading of the B2 class motorcycle driving license to B sparks debate among motorcyclists, with some supporting the move while others highlighting the dangers that may come with it.

Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) former chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said that he completely disagreed with the proposal for automatic upgrade due to the lack of safety and could pose risk to other road users.

“This is not advisable because of safety, as previously the riders might be used to handling small motorcycles, then suddenly change to the big motorcycle is not proper as they must know how to handle the big bike,” he said.

Lee, who is also the National Unity Advisory Council member, said smaller CC motorcycles and higher CC motorcycles are very different and the riders need to go for training.

“Instead of an automatic upgrade, I really think the motorcyclists need to earn the full B licence through advanced training and sit for the test for safety reasons,” he said.

His opinion was echoed by Advanced Defensive Riding head trainer Badaru Hisham Abu Bakar, who expressed his concern that the proposal might look good on paper, but a rider needed special skills to operate a powerful superbike.

“It is safer if a rider has the skills of Advanced Defensive Driving Techniques so that the rider is more skilled, sensitive and can control the motorcycle well during an emergency,” he said.

Badaru, who is also a Miros Community Safety Support Programme (CSSP) coach added if the cubic centimetres (CC) of an engine was bigger, then the bigger the motorcycle engine would be.

This means it would need a big, strong frame that makes the motorcycle heavier.

He said a large CC would also provide higher horsepower (HP), making the motorcycle faster and harder to control.

“Therefore, I disagree with the automatic upgrade from B2 class to B full,” he expressed.

Meanwhile, former Cub Prix racer Wazi Abdul Hamid had previously said that he wished for relevant parties to examine and evaluate the propriety of upgrading B2 licence holders to B.

He said B2 licence riders needed five years of motorcycle riding experience and undergo an assessment test before being eligible for an upgrade to class B.

The veteran rider, who is also a professional motorcycle instructor, agreed that reckless approval could pose a risk of danger to riders and other road users.

On the other hand, Pink Racing team’s professional racer Nur Atikah Azwar said the proposal to upgrade the B2 class to B full automatically was a good proposition even though she agreed that both machines had different handling and required different skills.

“I agree handling big motorcycles is slightly different due to the weight but it’s not a big issue as it is something that can be adapted quickly from my experience.

“The notion that upgrading automatically to the B full licence will contribute to more accidents to me is a little exaggerated as these bigger motorcycles come with more safety features than the small capacity ones,” she said.

She added if higher speed motorcycles might be dangerous, then people should consider that across Malaysia, these moped motorcycles or ‘kapcai’ motorcycles could be heavily modified by some motorcycle enthusiasts, with some modifications that were extreme with power-to-weight ratio percentage even beating bigger motorcycles.

She said the downside was these modifications were purely for speed and took no account into upgrading the safety features of the motorcycles, not like bigger motorcycles that had more advanced safety features equipped.

Besides, she also said some Malaysians compared the purchasing of motorcycles compared other countries such as the United Kingdom, which she claimed was restricted in the countries.

“Even developed countries don’t automatically upgrade licences, such as how Malaysia is proposing, hence we have to consider the cultural aspect and factors as well.

“Malaysia is similar to many Southeast Asian countries. We were raised with motorcycles since we were kids, and we are very accustomed to riding them regardless of race and social standing as it is just how we are brought up.

“I can say the majority of Malaysians have ride a motorcycle with no surprise, unlike the UK, where seeing a motorcycle or growing up around a motorcycle is rare,” she expressed.

She said she agreed with the licence's automatic upgrade as it brought many positive impacts compared to the negatives.

“It will positively impacts the motorcycle industry in terms of motorcycle sales, as well as upgrading and increasing the job market for motorcycles.

“We can increase our skilled mechanic workforce and upgrade them to a higher level with bigger bikes on the road. job opportunities would surely rise, and business opportunities would surely increase.

“It brings more good than harm with the automatic upgrade, so I support it fully,” she expressed.

Recently, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that the proposal of automatically upgrading the B2 class motorcycle driving licence to B would be brought to the Transport Ministry to be examined first.

He reportedly said he did not see any problem implementing the proposal as motorcyclists with a B2 licence already have experience riding the machine.

Prior to that, the proposal paper for an automatic upgrade from class B2 to B for motorcyclists who have not committed serious traffic offences within three years after obtaining the B2 licence was submitted by Superbikers Association Malaysia (S.A.M) president Datuk Abdul Halim Suleiman.

The Road Transport Department (RTD) classified B2 class for motorcycles below 250 cc and B for unlimited capacity with no condition or restriction for a rider to obtain a B licence from the start despite not having any riding experience.