After answering the question of the legality of driving a car in Malaysia while wearing slippers, it naturally begat the question is the same applied to riding motorcycles. We posed the question to our friend in the Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) and he was at a loss for words for a moment.
“Abang, are you playing the fool with me or what? You’re a biker for many years and you want to ask me this question?” he finally said. After confirming we were indeed serious in asking the question, he replied, “no, it is not against the law.”
The Road Transport Act 1987 does not clearly specify protective riding gear for motorcyclists, nor does it make any safety equipment except for helmets mandatory, he elaborated. “However, we riders know riding without gear is, for want of a better word, stupid,” he said.
“I would ask all riders of all bikes, big or small, to please wear a helmet and if possible, gloves and shoes,” he advised. “I have attended to so many accidents on the highway where proper safety gear could have prevented, or at the least, reduced the severity of injuries and in some cases, death,” said our JSPT source.
Compare this to France, where it is mandatory to ride a motorcycle wearing a helmet and gloves, at a minimum, has been mandatory since 2017. so, the answer is yes, you can ride a motorcycle wearing slippers in Malaysia, but it would be foolish to do so.
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