PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Medical Association and the Road Safety Marshal Club of Malaysia have urged the government to act against the sale of child motorcycle and bicycle helmets that fail to meet safety standards.
In a statement, the two groups said they tested helmet brands sold in retail and online stores in 2023.
During testing by Sirim based on the 2004 pedal cycle helmet standards, only five of the 10 motorcycle helmets bought from retail outlets passed.
For helmets bought online, only three of 10 passed the test.
After Sirim and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) proposed new standards, they bought another 10 helmets to test them, and only half of them passed the test.
“There still exists a significant proportion of child motorcycle and bicycle helmets in the retail outlets and online stores which do not meet Malaysian standards,” they said, adding that the public should exercise caution when buying such products.