Motorcyclists normally have their jackets and other attire to keep them protected against the weather when they are riding their vehicles on the road. Usually in Malaysia, you will see many of them wearing their jackets backwards, which means it can’t be zipped up properly. Maybe it’s more convenient?
Source: Sleepless in KL
If you are one of them to do so, then you might want to reconsider actually wearing that jacket properly. That’s because wearing it backwards can be really dangerous and potentially be fatal too. A netizen, Zairul Eizam wrote a post advising motorcyclists to wear their jackets properly and explained his own experience.
As a motorcyclist himself, he observed over the last 18 days that as many as 63 motorcyclists did not wear their jackets and raincoats properly, all along the way to his office. Zairul said that he would usually wear his raincoat before he gets on his motorbike as he wants to prepared in case of rain, so that his clothes will not smell of exhaust fumes due to the cold.
Source: Facebook
“I see all these motorcyclists wearing their jackets and raincoats the wrong way when I am on the road. I understand that all of us are hurrying to work or going home. And I also know that our lives are in God’s hands. But let me tell you an experience I had when I was still in secondary school.”
“My senior had met with a fatal accident back then because he had not worn his motorcycle jacket properly. He had initially wanted to overtake a concrete mixer but his flapping jacket accidentally got caught on a little hook at the side of the vehicle. He was run over by the same concrete mixer and passed away.”
Source: Facebook
“It’s not that I want to tell a horror story but this is the fact. This story is still fresh in my mind and ever since then, I have always worn my jacket properly. It’s very common for motorcyclists to criss-cross among vehicles on the road and the flapping jackets could get caught on the side mirrors of cars or another motorcycle’s handlebars.”
Since then, Zairul has been persuading his family and friends to wear their outerwear the right way and shared with them about his senior’s tragic accident. While most of his colleagues heeded his advice, he received mixed responses when he tried to do the same with other motorcyclists on the road.
Source: Facebook
One of them immediately fixed his jacket when Zairul approached him at a traffic light but another rider just stared at him and drove off without doing anything. He advises other people to share his story and hopefully spread the word so that they will be more cautious when wearing their riding jackets.
His post received more than 17,000 shares in a little more than 24 hours as netizens thanked him for raising awareness about this issue. One commenter said that he did not understand why motorcyclists insist on wearing their jackets backwards as it would also limit their hand movements. That’s dangerous too!
Take note, peeps and stay safe!
Also read: Kepoh M’sian Motorcyclists Get Distracted by Accident, End Up Crashing into Each Other
