This includes increasing the minimum and maximum fine to RM5,000 and RM10,000 respectively for those caught taking part in illegal races, transport ministry secretary-general Isham Ishak said.

Currently, Mat Rempit can be fined up to RM300 only.

The proposed amendment, which will be tabled in Parliament next year, is also seeking to punish parents who allow their children under 18 years old to take part in the races.

Isham said the ministry was also looking into getting insurers to charge higher premiums for motorcyclists arrested for illegal racing.

It also wants to empower local councils to shut down and suspend business licences of workshops offering illegal modifications.

“We want to take an integrated approach on this Mat Rempit issue. It is a problem that is not unique to Malaysia, but to other countries as well and they have tackled it. We, too, can tackle the problem,” he told reporters.

Isham, in recalling the five men killed in an illegal race on a coastal highway in Penang not long ago, said cameras were being considered as a short-term deterrent.

He said the cameras would be placed in strategic spots to snap pictures of racers and spectators.

In statistics provided by the police today, a total of 329,296 accidents were recorded from 2019 to 2021 involving motorcycles.

In the three-year period, 10,188 motorcyclists died, with the highest being 3,959 in 2019.

Two years ago, Putrajaya proposed harsher penalties for reckless driving, including for Mat Rempit.

According to transport minister Wee Ka Siong, apart from Mat Rempit, this would include driving under the influence of drugs and ‘basikal lajak’ (modified bicycles).