SAFE SENSE by Mohd Najeeb Rosli: Roadworthiness check on motorists needed
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- Last Updated on Sunday, 11 September 2016 19:20
RESEARCH has found that if “matured” drivers today retake the driving test, almost half would fail the basic safety test.
Early this month, theSun reported that the insurance industry has refused to provide coverage for commercial vehicle drivers aged 65 and above as this group is deemed as presenting “high risk” on the roads.
To be fair, such elderly drivers still need to drive for a living and they must be given a chance, because age is just a number in reflection to driving capabilities BUT subject to certain competency and evaluation tests from safety perspective.
Off The Cuff - Why promote Mat Rempit culture?
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- Last Updated on Sunday, 11 September 2016 19:19
THE RESPONSE to a proposal by the Federal Territories minister to set up a night track around the Kuala Lumpur city centre for Mat Rempit, the "daredevils" or illegal speedster motorcyclists, to race has come fast and furious.
It was a resounding "No" by some 92% of those polled online by a newspaper and if you are wondering where the other 8% who like the idea came from, your guess is as good as mine, they must be from the Mat Rempit themselves.
In the first place, our already over-worked traffic cops are hard-pressed to handle the Mat Rempit.
And from my travels around the world on assignments as a reporter for over three decades, I can safely say that the Mat Rempit culture is virtually an exclusive Malaysian phenomenon.
I've seen more motorcycles on the road in densely populated cities like Jakarta and Hanoi but nothing beats what we can find in Kuala Lumpur, with regular illegal midnight races on some roads despite so many riders already being dealt with under the law.
In Hanoi , for instance, the most striking thing about their motorcyclists is that they are disciplined and comply with the speed limit.
When I asked Vietnamese journalist friends the reason for this, the answer was insightful: "Most of them are the sole breadwinners in the family. They don't want to get killed on the roads!"
Malaysians lax on car safety
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- Last Updated on Sunday, 11 September 2016 19:18
PETALING JAYA: A new study shows that Malaysians are alarmingly lax on vehicle safety for themselves and more so, their children.
According to preliminary findings of the study, 90% of 236 children aged four and below were not placed in safety seats while in a vehicle.
The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) also found that 11% of 131 drivers drove with children on their laps.
While a representative survey has yet to be carried out, the findings are believed to reflect the level of awareness of vehicle safety nationwide.
Experts question Ku Nan's proposal to legalise 'Mat Rempit' racing
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- Last Updated on Sunday, 11 September 2016 19:10
KUALA LUMPUR: Road safety experts expressed regret and disbelief over a proposal to legalise 'Mat Rempit' racing.
The experts who spoke to theSun, raised grave concerns on whether the government would take responsibility should bodily injury or loss of lives occur during such races.
Their concerns come in the wake of a proposal earlier this week by Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor to allow bikers to race in certain parts of the capital city to curb the tendency of "Mat Rempits" who speed in residential and commercial areas.
Universiti Sains Malaysia deputy vice-chancellor Professor Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah described the proposal as risky and a disservice to road safety.
"Malaysia as a country that has committed towards the achievement of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety, all initiatives must have safer roads as the aspired outcomes," he told theSun.
Study: Women drivers are angrier than men
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- Last Updated on Friday, 05 September 2014 02:26
Showing her displeasure: It is rare for Malaysian women drivers to externalise their anger when on the road.
(The Star) - Discourtesy on the road, such as cutting queues, refusing to give way, failing to use indicators before turning or changing lanes and triple parking on roadsides were found to be main causes of fury.
Malaysian women drivers have been found to be angrier than men behind the wheel.
However, despite their higher levels of anger, women drivers suffer fewer crashes and road fatalities.
This was revealed by results of a five-year study undertaken by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros).
The survey was to identify the number of agitated drivers, categorised under three groups – high-anger drivers, medium-anger drivers and low-anger drivers.
Miros research fellow and psychologist Karen Goonting said despite their inclination to be angrier, fewer women drivers were involved in accidents because they tend to keep their anger bottled up.