It is estimated there are 1.2 million motorcyclists in the country riding without a licence.

Deputy Transport Minister, Datuk Ab Aziz Kaprawi said the estimated figure was based on the assumption that eight to 10 per cent were unlicensed riders out of 15 million people in the country eligible to own a motorcycle riding licence.

"According to the data, only 7.6 million of the population possess such licence, which means about 50 per cent aged 16 years and above own the licence," he said in reply to a question from Datuk Johari Abdul (PKR-Sungai Petani) in the Dewan Rakyat, here, today.

Johari had asked on the number of registered motorcycles and unlicensed motorcyclists and the system of obtaining the licence, which he claimed was cumbersome as well as the high cost which deterred motorcyclists from acquiring a licence.

Ab Aziz said according to the Road Transport Department's data base records, there were 12,089,747 motorcycles registered up to Dec 31, 2015.

Ab Aziz said the government was very concerned about issues related to road safety including the licensing procedures for drivers and riders.

He said that based on the ceiling price control, the cost of obtaining a licence was not the main factor for young people, especially students, to ride without a licence.

Ab Aziz said it was more due to their attitude and awareness level on the risks of riding a motorcycle without a licence and the importance of safety while on the road, which needed to be addressed through more effective advocacy programmes and enforcement. -- BERNAMA