Motorcyclists Who Wear Their Jackets Backwards Should Read What This Guy Has To Say
A post on Facebook reminding motorcyclists to put on their jackets properly has gone viral on social media.
By Tang Ruxyn
Motorcyclists wearing jackets backwards and leaving it unzipped is an extremely common sight in Malaysia
However, a man has urged Malaysians to rethink the way they put on their jackets when riding a motorcycle as they could be endangering their own lives
Facebook user Zairul Eizam wrote in a post yesterday, 6 March, pleading motorcyclists to consider starting to wear their jackets or raincoats in the proper way for their own safety.
He said that based on his observation in the last 18 days, at least 63 motorcycle riders did not wear their jackets or raincoats the proper way without realising that their negligence could be fatal or even pose danger to other road users.
Zairul, who is a motorcyclist himself, said that he wears a raincoat each time he rides for several reasons including: so that he is prepared when it rains, to avoid having exhaust smell on his clothes, and because it is usually cold when he rides in the morning.
"I understand you want to go straight to work or get home quickly. And I also understand that death in God's hands. But..."
Continuing in his post, Zairul shared about an incident that happened when he was still in high school where his senior's habit of not wearing the jacket properly turned fatal one day.
According to him, the jacket that the deceased was wearing was flapping away when it suddenly got stuck to a small hook on a concrete mixer.
"Not that I want to tell a horror story, but this is the fact. The deceased, who was said to have wanted to overtake a concrete mixer trailer, had his jacket get caught unexpectedly and was run over by the same truck."
The incident was something that Zairul could not forget until this very day.
He went on to say that most motorcyclists have the tendency to criss-cross between vehicles when riding, and it is possible that they could be endangering their own lives if their jacket get stuck in the side mirror of a car or on another motorcycle's handlebar because they did not wear it properly in the first place.
It was learned that Zairul has been persuading friends and strangers to consider putting on their outer wear in the proper way
His efforts, however, have received mixed responses.
He was grateful that his colleagues at work were receptive and agreed to make some effort to put on their jackets properly.
Zairul would also talk about the issue with other riders whom he met when they stopped at the traffic lights.
On one occasion, a rider took it positively after listening to what Zairul had to say. After Zairul briefly mentioned about how his high school senior passed away, the other motorcyclist immediately put on his jacket properly.
Zairul said the same thing to another man on another occasion, but the rider just went on his way without doing anything.