TANJONG MALIM: Police said preliminary investigations found that the group of motorcyclists involved in the accident along Jalan Jelapang-Ampang, Ipoh, which claimed three lives last Saturday (Sept 19), were believed to have been travelling at high speed while riding in a convoy.
Perak police chief Datuk Mohd Alwi Zainal Abidin said investigations also found that some members of the group travelling from Ipoh subsequently lost control and crashed into a car.
"Following the collision, the second group of motorcyclists failed to avoid the motorcycles and car that had already been involved in the accident in time and crashed into them,” he told a press conference here on Monday (Sept 21).
Mohd Alwi said the route had also been identified as a hotspot for illegal street racing and road hooliganism, with police conducting operations in the early hours of the morning to curb such activities.
However, he said after police completed their operations at around 3 am, the motorcyclists would return to gather and resume the activities.
He added that all parties involved had been identified, and police were still conducting further investigations to determine the actual cause of the accident, including confirming the actual owners of the vehicles involved.
Police had also recorded statements from the motorcyclists involved and the driver of the car involved, except for one victim who is still receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
He said the 19-year-old male victim from Perak was still receiving treatment at the ICU of Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (HRPB), Ipoh, and his statement had yet to be recorded.
The accident, which occurred at about 3.35 am on Sept 19, resulted in three male motorcyclists, aged between 19 and 20, killed at the scene, while nine other male motorcyclists, aged between 19 and 25, sustained various injuries.
Meanwhile, Mohd Alwi said the Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Division of the Ipoh district police headquarters (IPD) had conducted 64 operations to curb illegal road racing from January to Sept 19.
"During the same period, 11 arrests were made under Section 42(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, while action was taken in 41 vehicle seizure cases under Section 64(1) of the same Act,” he said. - Bernama
