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Langkawi Nature Blogs
Road Safety on Langkawi
Mark: 26 Oct. 2009
Today I had my 2nd motorbike accident within 3 months.
And the situation was exactly, 100% the same:
An older local person on another motorbike, driving on the left side of the road, suddenly decided to cross the road to go to a shop on the right side. Without giving a sign, without looking at all. The crash was completely unavoidable.
The two older people who were involved in these accidents, acted as if they would still live in the time, when there were no cars on Langkawi….. Both were very nice and said “sorry, very very sorry” ….
But this does not fix the scratches on my 64 year old body or on my motorbike and ruins each time an other pair of my blue jeans….
A few years ago, the police did put up a huge board on the street between the bridge in Kuah (the one which does not seem to come to its end of construction) and the big Mosque. Every month the accidents and death tolls on the Island were reported - as a warning to drive more carefully.
This board was removed some time ago. Nothing negative should be told about Langkawi . . . and I too was told not to write anything negative about the road safety. “Not necessary”, I was told.
My intention is not to scare you away from renting a motor bike or a car, when you come to Langkawi. BTW: a car is much safer! But I would like you to know the facts: the accident rate and the number of the accident deaths on Langkawi is about 2 to 3 times higher as in any western country. This might be ‘normal’ for a developing country, I don’t know - all I want to say is: it is NOT the same to drive here as to drive in the EU or the USA. Be aware of that.
It is hard to get statistics, but from the information I have, I conclude, that there are about 100 accident deaths on Langkawi every year. Which means: every 3 to 4 days someone gets killed on the streets of Langkawi.
This is my ESTIMATION, and what I remember from this board some times ago – I am happy if someone can correct me on that. I tried to find out more precise information – but it looks like these figures are a well kept secret on the internet…
So what to do? Take care. Keep your distance. To the front and to the side. Allow 3times more distance than you normally do! Drive not too fast. There are a few holes in the streets here and there. And there are also a lot of animals crossing the streets. On my way home – to Kisap – I can encounter cows on the street, wild dogs, cats and goats. On my way into the Kampung there are also chickens, monkeys and monitor lizards, even the big water buffalos, and once a snake crossed the road just before me.
If you hire a motor bike you should wear long trousers – it will minimize your skin injuries if you fall to the floor.
Ok, all this said, happy holiday - just be careful.
