Scheduling street races won’t work, says expert

Thrill seekers: According to Dr Geshina, mat rempit are unlikely to be impressed with the Government’s plan to set up a night track for them as they thrive on obstacles and not empty roads.

PETALING JAYA: Scheduling street races for mat rempit will not prevent problems such as drug abuse, intoxication and underaged or illegal riders, says criminologist and psychologist Dr Geshina Ayu Mat Saat.

The Universiti Sains Malaysia lecturer said illegal betting was also involved in street races, adding that she doubted the effectiveness of the proposal in tackling these vices.

She described mat rempit as “risk takers” who were unlikely to be impressed or thrilled by the Government’s plan to close certain city roads to allow them to race legally.

“They love it when there are obstacles. That’s the thrill they are seeking – not empty roads.”

Dr Geshina said the idea announced by Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor was not novel, as she had heard of similar moves in the Britain while studying there.

Tengku Adnan said the night track would be modelled after the bi-weekly Car Free mornings in Kuala Lumpur, where several roads in Kuala Lumpur would be closed for a few hours to enable the mat rempit to race unhampered.

Dr Geshina said scheduled races would make roads safer for pedestrians and other road users provided the mat rempit only raced at the designated times and places.

But she said it was unlikely that all of them would come to Kuala Lumpur and stop racing elsewhere.

“I don’t think it will work,” she said.

Dr Geshina suggested that an in-depth study be carried out on the issue of mat rempit, adding that the problem ran deeper than just racing.