IT’S a tragedy. There’s no doubt about it but one that could well have been avoided.
The Kisah Dunia Facebook page which shares trending and viral stories around the world recently highlighted a fatal accident along the KM15.8 of the Setiawangsa-Pantai Expressway (SPE) when a motorcyclist who was seeking shelter from a heavy downpour was hit by a car.
The impact caused Muhammad Shafiq Hashim, 31, to plunge to his death at the scene from a 30-metre-high flyover on Thursday (June 25) evening.
It was understood that several motorcyclists have stopped to take shelter on the left shoulder of the road at around 4.40pm when suddenly a Proton X50 driven by a 21-year-old woman lost control and entered the area.
The car eventually hit two motorcycles before Shafiq was thrown off the flyover. Even more heartbreaking is that the deceased left behind two young children.
Meanwhile, the second motorcyclist suffered a fractured leg while the case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for causing death by reckless or dangerous driving.
Editor’s Note: The 21-year-old driver was charged over the crash at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate’s Court on Friday (June 26).
“The driver was released on a RM1,500 bail with one surety. Her driving licence has also been suspended pending the disposal of the case,” Kuala Lumpur Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zamzuri Mohd Isa pointed in a statement yesterday (June 28).
“The court fixed Sept 10 for document submission.”
The Kisah Dunia FB post has generated 8.5K likes, 1K comments and 643 shares with many netizens extremely saddened by this tragic mishap.
There were plenty of messages of condolences but some road safety advocates sought to highlight certain common practices that may have contributed to the sad episode.
One commenter took the bold decision to call out what he saw as “egotistical and brainless” riders.
Pointing to the many motorcyclists’ habit of parking haphazardly under flyovers when it pours, he chided their practice of sitting on their bikes and parking in a manner that intrudes onto main road as if they are afraid their bikes would catch a chill.
The advice was for the soaked riders to determine if the spot was suitable for shelter from the rain and it was his considered opinion that the spot chosen by the deceased was far from ideal given it was narrow and unsuitable for waiting out the downpour.
This lack of common sense has had severe consequences, not least great difficulty to the 21-year-old driver accused of this heinous crime.
Although the language of the above commenter was harsh, another road user nevertheless agreed with the point being made.
Given that road accidents occur without warning, it was advisable to stay away from the stationary vehicle. Even when a car has broken down, the driver should NOT sit in it while waiting for assistance.
One motorcyclist who did not take kindly to this advice lashed out at the perceived self-righteousness of the first commenter.
However, the backlash was swift. Quite a few other road users felt that the biker was unclear about the point being made which was riders should NOT sit on their bikes when waiting kerbside for the rain to subside.
It was also surmised that this confused rider was precisely the type of road user that would be a nuisance to other motorists.
One safety-conscious motorcyclist agreed that he often saw riders who stopped under flyovers while taking up a fair amount of road space.
Such habits only invited trouble as vehicles whether cars or worse still lorries that lost control in the rain would surely ram into these wayward motorcyclists. His advice would be to soldier on with a raincoat till they found a safe spot to wait.
A motorist spoke from first-hand experience of nearly colliding with a poorly parked motorcycle (and its rider). He understood they are seeking shelter from the elements but his advice was to park properly and, of course, not sit on their bikes.
In light of the loss of life, these may seem like very harsh words. But as can be seen from the various comments, there is a feeling that two-wheeled road users need to be a bit more conscientious when it comes to road safety.
Such a strongly worded public service announcement was much needed if similar accidents are to be avoided. – June 29, 2026
