Lessons Learnt : MyVi speedsters Against The Rest of Malaysia

Like so many people I am enraged that people are still happily racing and speeding on our highways and expressways with, well, I will say it - with impunity.

Accidents happen on roads, we know it. They happen due to carelessness and recklessness. And of course, speeding. 
And people are killed.
All these are unacceptable . 

Last Saturday, speeding cars, allegedly involved in illegal racing, caused the deaths of 3 people - a young couple and their baby girl.

According to news reports businessman Fairuz Nizam, his wife Nova Safitri and their seven-month-old daughter Nur Firuza Annisa were killed when their Mitsubishi Pajero was hit by two Perodua Myvis on the DUKE Highway last Saturday morning.

The two Perodua Myvis were said to have been involved in a 6-car illegal racing.  The driver have all denied it and in fact blamed Fairuz for swerving into the lane of one of the cars.

Yeah . The gall, the cheek, the audacity of it.

Public outcry was swift -- fast and furious. People were unforgiving, venting their anger in social media.. 

For many people, it was not just another accident. The accident was caused by racing cars.
No matter what anyone says -- people are convinced that these Myvis were responsible.
The drivers have already been tried and judged.

What got to people was not only that Fairuz was killed on the spot but that his wife and baby were thrown out onto the road. They died on the way to hospital.

Simply, it is the illegal racing. That hit a nerve in everyone. Nobody likes illegal racing. Just like no one likes the antics of Mat Rempits on the road.

So many people were saddened by this tragedy. And the fact that the couple left behind two young daughters  - Nur Firuza Amira, 7 and Nur Firuza Akila, 3.

So now, the police say they are determined to stop illegal racing. And the Transport Ministry has ordered the Road Transport Department to step up enforcement against illegal racers.

Yesterday, Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Aziz Kaprawi was quoted to have said: “We do not want illegal racers to spill more innocent blood,” 

He said he would ensure that JPJ was firm in enforcing traffic laws and that it increased its operations against illegal racing, especially during weekends.

Well and good, I say. But really really really. That is often the case, isn't it?

It takes such a tragedy for the authorities to take notice and wisen up.

I'm not saying that it's a lot of bull .But I wish they had done all this as a matter of routine or part of their business to keep the roads and highways safe.

You know -- there were times when I am driving on Jalan Damansara  (that runs along Phileo Damansara) at night and four or five cars would be zooming at breakneck speed past me. Not always Myvis.

Why these drivers are even allowed to do so without any highway patrol catching them is perplexing.

That is exactly why this has been rampantly happening -- people know they can get away with it.

There has probably been action but it has not been deterrent enough.

Never mind racing - that is clearly illegal. The speeding and reckless driving. The weaving in and out of  cars and so many other traffic no-no's. The running and beating of red lights.

And the mat rempits and other motorcyclists who have no regard for traffic rules.

What about not wearing helmets.

I can go on and on.

I have said many times before, some Malaysian drivers deserve to die on the road because they speed, they are reckless and have no regard for safety - theirs or other people's.

But then, as in the DUKE Highway case, the tragedy is that the ones who should, don't (die).

We don't have a "road safety" culture in this country. There are just too many motorists who are selfish, reckless and who have no regard for road safety.

If we all do not change our mindset and attitude on the road, nothing will change.

Yes WE. You and I and the enforcement  agencies.

You cannot change overnight. So if the police and the RTD want to stop illegal racing - DO SO NOW.

Meanwhile, work on road safety. 

If things don't change because we don't want to -- then don't get all worked up when you keep seeing accident fatalities increasing.

********

On the DUKE Highway case : 

Police arrested the two drivers over the weekend - including a woman -  but released them on bail on Sunday evening. 
The  other drivers, in their police reports are said to have denied that they had caused the accident.

The police, already investigating the case under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act for reckless driving, have given an assurance that they will be thorough.

Meanwhile, The Star report:

The Malaysian Consumers Association has urged the Government to introduce a law making it compulsory for child seats to be installed in cars carrying infants and young children.

It said statistics have shown that child seats reduce the risk of death by 71% for infants and 54% for children between the ages of one and five.

Maconas secretary-general Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill said in a statement yesterday that making child seats compulsory could help save the lives of children in accidents.

“Thousands of vehicles are driven daily and children ranging from infants to five-year-olds are at risk because they are seated at the back of the car without proper restraints.

“There are also parents who put the child in the front seat or on their laps when the car is driven. This is not only dangerous to the front passenger but also to the child,” he said.

Well, I support this. I have always supported this.

See how terrible some Malaysians are -- the part on people driving with their children on their laps - well, I have seen it many times. And when I do, I will drive along the car and honk at the driver and then point to his child.