Hands off the mobile device
SEEING people talking on the phone or, worse, texting while driving is very common. To these drivers, I would like to say please do not text or use your phone while driving. You are risking your life and the lives of others when your attention is focused on your mobile device rather than on the road.
Perhaps you can get a hands-free kit for your phone but that will not eliminate the temptation to answer a call or read and send text messages. Accidents normally happen in a split second. Once you take your eyes off the road, you put others and yourself in danger.
Earlier this year, Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement director SAC Datuk Mahamad Akhir Darus advised motorists to keep their hands off their phones while driving and reminded that it is an offence to even hold a phone while stuck in a traffic jam or waiting at traffic light junctions.
Currently, motorists caught using their phones while driving would be fined RM300. The laws are in place and it is the responsibility of every road user to abide by them.
However, we can see hundreds of cars with drivers whose attention is not on the road but on their mobile phones every day. We need to be more responsible. If there is an urgent need to answer the phone, find a safe place, stop the car and do the talking. It’s not worth putting our safety and that of other road users at risk just to have a nice chat over the phone while driving.
Being stuck in traffic jams is not a reason to play with our phones. And when we are waiting at the traffic lights, we should be observing our surroundings carefully instead of updating our status on Facebook. It can be very tempting to view the latest message on social media but don’t violate other people’s rights to use the road safely for your immediate gratification.
Selfish drivers are everywhere. A friend of mine was almost killed by a lady driver who stopped sud- denly at a junction. She did this just to take a selfie and upload it to her chat group.
I believe proactive approaches should be taken to reduce road accidents. Safety is always paramount no matter what the situation is and I hope all road users can shed their bad driving habits.
We should add another step to our road safety routine (snapping on the seat belt, checking side and rear mirrors, etc) before we start driving – turn off or put our phones in silent mode.
AHMAD FAIZUDDIN International Islamic University