Behind the wheel of ignorance

One in four Malaysians do not know what to do after a traffic accident

PETALING JAYA: One in four Malaysians do not know what to do after getting involved in an accident, a recent survey revealed.

The survey, which was conducted by local news aggregator Cilisos and Insurance firm Allianz, was carried out from Sept 20 to Oct 9 and gathered feedback from 2,704 respondents nationwide, mainly from Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Penang and Perak.

The bulk of the respondents were aged 21-29 (32%), with 65% males and 35% females.

The survey also revealed that the most vexing Malaysian driving habit is not using turn signals.

Other interesting findings include: Malaysians are generally responsible when involved in accidents – 91% would stop, apologise and pay for damages.

Male drivers are more likely to tailgate, while female drivers are more likely to be on the phone.

Of those providing help to accident victims, touts make up 47%, almost the same percentage as total strangers.

4% of road accidents happen because of road bullying while 6% of Malaysians admitted to watching movies while driving.

13% of Malaysians microsleep while driving whereas another 13% admitted being intimate with their significant other while driving.

More than a third of Malaysians do not know which insurance company they are tied to, 51% know what their policy covers and only 28% know that there is a free tow truck service.

Only 14% of Malaysian car owners have a fire extinguisher in their vehicle.

Speaking on the topic that Malaysians do not know what to do in the event of an accident, Kuala Lumpur Department of Investigation and Traffic Enforcement, ACP Zulkifli Yahya, said that it is unlikely that people are unaware of the next course of action after an accident.

“Think about it, when your car is damaged in an accident, your first thought would be the cost involved. You know that you need to claim insurance and make a police report in order to do so,” he said.

Zulkifli advised vehicle owners that in the event of an accident where the cars involved can be still driven, it is important to take sufficient notes and visual proof of the damage, exchange details with the other driver and make a police report within 24 hours.

He added that if a car is inoperable, the driver can call their insurance firm’s towing service, or 999.

“A report needs to be made by both parties within 24 hours or else it will be an offence under Section 52 (2) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which is punishable with a fine not exceeding RM300,” he said.