“Police should investigate whether allowing underaged children to ride ‘basikal lajak’ on expressways in the wee hours amounts to negligence under the Child Act for exposing their children to foreseeable dangers,” he said in a statement.

Boo also took a swipe at Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman over a social media picture of the former youth and sports minister posing with a group of “basikal lajak” riders three years ago.

He said that any populist approach taken by politicians would not send the right message to guide “ignorant teenagers”.

Boo said Syed Saddiq had sent the wrong message of endorsement by appearing with a wide smile with the “basikal lajak” riders.

“‘Basikal lajak’ is not only illegal and dangerous, but it shows the general indiscipline of our youth, the failure of our education system and disintegration of our societal values,” Boo said.

On Wednesday, a clerk was sentenced to six years’ jail and fined RM6,000 by the High Court in Johor Bahru for reckless driving in connection with the deaths of eight teenagers on “basikal lajak” five years ago.

Sam Ke Ting, 27, was ordered to serve another six months in prison if she did not pay the fine, and disqualified from driving for three years, effective immediately after she completes her prison sentence.

Yesterday, Sam applied to the Court of Appeal for leave to appeal the High Court’s decision.

Lawyer Nor Zabetha Muhammad Nor earlier said parents and guardians must be more responsible when it comes to the welfare of their children, including monitoring their activities, especially late at night.

She said this was paramount when it came to the safety of minors, adding that any such neglect should be considered an offence under the Child Act.