[top: Deadly crash: Police officer Abdul Halim Abdul Samad's motorcycle collided with a mini van on his way to report for duty.]
BARELY 30 years old, and they're dead - most of them in the blink of an eye.
It could be a lapse in concentration or an error in judgment on the road, but the loved ones of so many young motorcyclists end up asking in anguish: How could it happen?
While motorcycle engine performance and safety features have improved, the death toll for newer riders remains high.
Experts say this is because young riders still lack the riding skills or experience for the road.
Said Mr Musa Ibrahim, leader for Team Revenge, a motorcycle club that started in 1978 with more than 100 riders: "In the '80s, you would need to modify your bike to make it go faster.
"Nowadays, the advances in engine technology guarantees that your bike is fast out of the box.
Bikes now are lighter, have more horsepower, torque and speed."
Of the 102 motorcyclists and pillion riders killed in accidents in 2007, 57 were aged 30 years and below, said the police.
From January to June last year, 55 motorcyclists and pillions were killed in accidents. Of these, 28 were aged 30 years and below.
In 2007, deaths involving two-wheelers made up about half of the 214 road fatalities. One in three road deaths was speed related.
But Mr Musa stressed that manufacturers have been designing safer bikes, which have stronger parts, better suspension and brakes.
"The problem is," Mr Musa said, "new riders may not know their limits or the limits of their machine. Also, youths tend to be hot-blooded and pressured by peers to ride recklessly."
And it's not always the bigger machines. Riders of non-performance commuter-type motorcycles in the below-200cc range have also been casualties.
Motorcycles in the 101cc to 200cc class made up 108,991 of about 144,000 registered bikes here in 2007.
Mr Tony Yeo, general secretary of the Singapore Motor Cycle Trade Association, said the issue is "unfamiliarity with a bike's capabilities".
Referring to a recent bike fatality involving a novice on a 200cc cruiser, Mr Yeo, 55, said: "The bike (that young man was riding) was not a powerful one, but riders don't realise that every bike behaves differently.
"You can't rule out that he may not have been familiar with his motorcycle. It takes time to understand your motorbike."
The dead rider, Mr Lloyd Fong, 21, was run over by a lorry on 10 Dec. He had collected his bike just an hour before the accident.
Riders aged 18 to 30 are also likely to make illegal modifications to their bikes, The Straits Times quoted the Land Transport Authority (LTA) as saying.
Some of these modifications could make motorcycles less safe, said Mr Ong Kim Hua, president of Motorcycle Safety and Sports Club.
He added: "Most modifications by younger riders follow trends which are mostly cosmetic.
"The more dangerous 'mods' involve changing to thinner wheels and lowering the travel on a bike's front forks. When you do this, you alter the bike's handling."
No mirrors
One cosmetic, yet dangerous trend, involves riding without mirrors for that "racing look".
In 2006, 399 motorcyclists were caught with faulty mirrors or without rear-view mirrors, said the LTA.
As to why the 20-to-29 age group remains vulnerable, "it could simply be that there are more riders in this category", said Mr Yeo. Compared with bike fatalities in the late '70s and early '80s, today's figures have dropped significantly.
Driving and riding schools like the Singapore Safety Driving Centre (SSDC) make sure riders receive comprehensive survival skills for the road. SSDC also offers advanced riding courses.
Added Mr Yeo: "What the driving schools are teaching is more than sufficient. Aspects like road ethics and common sense can't be taught. You have to experience them."
Most bikers do not see the need to go for further training after they graduate. They learn through trial and error, sometimes with fatal results.
But big bike clubs, like MagBikers, Storm Riders and Team Revenge teach new members how to ride safely while in a convoy.
Said Mr Musa: "At least there is an experienced rider in the group to be their mentors. We tell them straight away if they're riding dangerously."
Unfortunately, some new riders leave the group because they feel such clubs are too restrictive and structured, said Mr Yeo. "My worry is that they (young riders) then learn the wrong things from their peers."
The Traffic Police too try to cast a wider net in educating riders.
Last year, biker outreach programmes targeted students in universities, ITEs, polytechnics and national servicemen.
And enforcement remains a tool to reduce reckless bike riding and speeding.
More than 2,800 summonses were issued in the first half of last year.
Bike experts also suggest new legislation to reduce death rates.
These include preventing new bikers from taking pillion riders, allowing riders to ride on expressway road shoulders so that they don't weave between vehicles and banning newbies from using the expressways.
Added Mr Ong: "Going for courses and upgrading your riding skills will make you a safer rider.
"If, after all that, you still have not improved, then perhaps riding is not for you."
