MANILA - Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. on Thursday urged the executive department to review a proposal to set up makeshift barriers between a motorcycle driver and back-rider as it allowed motorcycle back-riding in almost the entire country starting Friday.
The Do-it-Yourself installation of makeshift barriers - seen to protect backriders from possible exposure to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is "fundamentally unsafe," Revilla said in a letter to National Task Force (NTF) on COVID-19 chair Delfin Lorenzana.
"A divider between both riders will make... balance very difficult as there will be no tactile feedback between them," the senator said.
"That barrier will also impact aerodynamics greatly, also interfering wheel balance," he said.
"When you have a back rider, the weight has to be synchronized. As the rider weighs left, the backrider has to do the same or else there's a high chance of crashing," he said.
The government should instead require motorcycle drivers and passengers to "wear gloves, face masks, full face helmets, or face shields" which will "not interfere with the required dexterity and balance of riders," Revilla said.
"The installation of a barrier on motorcycles for the purpose of protecting them from each other seems unnecessary," he said.
The government allowed couples to travel on the same motorcycle as transportation and travel restrictions are eased to help spur economic activity during the COVID-19 crisis.
Bong Revilla, backride, motorcycles, new normal, COVID-19, coronavirus, transportation, safety