The typical Malaysian driver is selfish and delusional

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysian drivers have two things on their mind when it comes to driving – “it is always me first” and “accidents won’t happen to me”.

According to Road Safety Depart­ment director-general Datuk Dr Tam Weng Wah, Malaysian drivers still have a long way to go when it comes to being courteous.

“The average Malaysian driver always believes that he or she comes first and usually refuses to give way to others.

“The other thing drivers believe is that accidents will always happen to somebody else but not themselves,” he told The Star.

Tam lamented that the average Malaysian driver still had lots of room for improvement.

“There is a need for social transformation. We can have nice roads but it wouldn’t mean anything if people still have Third-World mentality,” he said.

One such manifestation of the lackadaisical attitude towards safety is the oft-seen overloading of motorcycle pillion riders, with some parents routinely sandwiching young children and sometimes even babies between them on their motorcycles.

According to the 2011 road accident statistics compiled by the police, 63 accidents occurred due to overloading of pillion riders on motorcycles, resulting in six deaths, while 21 suffered serious injuries.

In terms of deaths, this was slightly up from the four fatalities recorded in 2010.

Under the Road Transport Act, riders who carry more than one pillion rider can be fined up to RM2,000 or jailed for a maximum of six months upon the first conviction.

“The department will educate motorcyclists on the dangers of having too many pillion riders on a motorcycle.

“Even though some may not have a car, it is not an excuse for them to endanger the lives of others by overloading their motorcycles,” Tam said.

In a bid to inculcate good habits on the road, the department will look into educating kindergarten children on the importance of road safety via games and activities.

“Children can be a good ambassador for road safety. They may even be able to point out their parents’ mistakes if they are educated on road safety,” he said.

Tam said the department was working with Toyota on a road safety programme involving young children.