Better to be late than sorry
NEARLY two million vehicles are going to be on the highway for the Hari Raya balik kampung exodus beginning this week.
The balik kampung exodus is a sought-after affair and it adds to the festivity and joy of visiting loved ones and friends.
The late Datuk Sudirman Arshad’s Balik Kampung, an evergreen hit, will reverberate the sound waves and add an adrenaline rush and make the journey home all the more exciting and fun.
It will be a mad rush to get home to celebrate the festival with loved ones after a two-year wait due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
There is excitement and great anticipation to head back home.
People will try to avoid the jams and congestion by hitting the road at 3am or 4am and will be shocked to see that everyone seemed to have started earlier than them.
There is no way that you can avoid the traffic congestion and snarl along some stretches of the highway and roads.
You are bound to get caught in a traffic crawl.
You need to be prepared to face this possibility and so set your mind to accept this scenario on our highway.
Make the best of your journey and enjoy the drive and think of your loved ones waiting for your arrival.
The best part of going back home is the journey itself.
As such, enjoy the precious time together with your family members in the vehicle.
No one is going to get a prize or reward for reaching home early and neither is anyone a loser for reaching home late.
The kampung will always be there whether you reach there earlier or later.
It is better to be safe and late rather than never reaching home, so drivers need to exercise patience and obey all traffic rules and road signs.
Keep to the permitted speed limit on the highways and trunk roads.
Spouses need to caution their partners to keep to the speed limit.
Do not try to beat everyone and drive on the emergency lane when roads are congested.
If you are feeling sleepy or feel fatigue setting in drive to an R&R and get some rest before continuing your journey.
Avoid parking by the side of the road to rest unless your car has stalled.
Driving when you are tired or sleepy can affect your driving competence and inability to respond quickly and decisively under duress.
Before you begin your journey make sure the car is properly serviced and roadworthy.
Check the tyre pressure, signal lights and wiper blades.
Do not overload the car because an overloaded vehicle will not brake under normal conditions.
And most important of all, make sure that you, as the driver, are well rested and in the best state of health – mentally and physically – to drive the vehicle.
You hold your whole family’s lives in your hands.
Do not make any irrational or reckless decisions while driving because it can cost the life of your loved ones.
And no amount of regret or sorrow can bring back the life of your loved ones.
Hopefully, the traffic enforcement unit, specially formed to keep our roads safe during the festive seasons, will be on our highways and trunk roads to monitor traffic and nab offenders who flout the rules.
It is going to be a massive effort on the enforcement unit to keep our highways and trunk roads safe during the balik kampung exodus.
Hopefully, heavy vehicles, such as express buses and lorries, will adhere and reduce their speed by 10km/h below the speed limit from the usual 90km/h and 80km/h respectively.
During the festive season the maximum speed limit for express buses and lorries should be reduced to 80km/h and 70km/h respectively.
With the enforcement units on our roads day and night to enforce the traffic rules it is hoped that traffic will be smooth and there are no untoward incidents.
All stake holders – motorcyclists, car drivers, heavy vehicle drivers and enforcement units – have to cooperate and work together to ensure that our roads are safe during the exodus.
Police and highway authorities must ensure the highways are safe.
The balik kampung exodus is a happy affair, let us ensure that everyone reaches their kampung safely and celebrates the festival joyfully with their loved ones.