My car could be my coffin
I REFER to the article by A. Jalil Hamid on “Make our roads safer” (NST, July 17).
The first step towards making roads safer is to admit that we, Malaysian motorists, are the problem.
We choose to drive and the way we drive is also our choice.
Malaysian motorists flout traffic laws every day and the number of accidents keeps increasing, as well as accident-related deaths.
Below is a list of offences committed by motorists:
Breaking traffic laws, rules and regulations, signage and markings;
Not using indicators when changing lanes, merging or negotiating corners and turns;
Parking wherever we please; Double or triple parking;
Using the handicapped parking bay, despite a designated sign displayed on the parking slot;
Going against traffic;
Not using designated lanes; Exceeding the speed limit; Hogging the far right lane or middle lane when not overtaking; Littering on roads;
Using hazard lights when the car is moving;
Using the phone while driving; Driving in the emergency lane;
Not stopping on red;
Making illegal U-turns;
Pleading ignorance to traffic laws; Insensitive to road users;
Driving under the influence of alcohol;
Not wearing seatbelts or helmets; Absence of child car seats;
Illegally modifying cars;
Not giving pedestrians the right of way; and,
Not having a driver’s licence.
Our first reaction, when an accident happens, is to blame someone else. Blame the police, Road Transport Department, government, infrastructure, roads and everyone else but ourselves.
We know that we are breaking the law, but we also know that we will almost never get caught, so we keep breaking them.
Until we admit that we are at fault, that we contribute to accidents, the problem can never be solved.
I have to admit that no matter how hard I try, I, too, have broken traffic laws, for which I should have been penalised.
And for that, I would like to apologise.
This letter may not change anything, but I cannot stand by and do or say nothing.
We have to start somewhere. Each day, when I get into my car, I say a prayer before I start the engine.
The way things are, there’s always a chance that my car could be my coffin before I reach my destination.