Tuesday 1 July 2008

Road Safety- Foolishly Flawed Logic


Police Notice


First the Factual Fairy Tale Fantasy!

A Fine Sale!

Malaysian Police to halve compounded fines for traffic summonses


Effective 1st July 2008, the Malaysian police will give a 50% discount on the compounded fines for traffic summonses, except those for serious offences, said Federal Police traffic chief Senior Asst Comm II Datuk Hamza Taib, the logic being to ease the financial burden on the lower income group after the recent price rise in petroleum and food items.

Evidently, this discount is applicable for those who receive a summons on-the-spot and pay the compounded fine before or on the last day of the 30-day deadline.

“Offenders who have yet to pay their summons and have not received letters summoning them to court are eligible for a 30% discount".

“Those who have received the court summons are not eligible for any discount,” he told reporters Monday at the Traffic Police Headquarters, at Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur.

Traffic offenders receiving their summons via the post will be eligible for a 30% discount regardless of when the summons was issued.

He said the discount offer was ongoing and no deadline had been set.

When he was asked if the discounts would encourage motorists to flout traffic laws, he said 'the police were confident the gesture would spur them to learn from their mistakes and not repeat them.'

“Even before this, the rich might not think much of paying a RM300 fine. Our focus is to try and ease the burden on the lower- and middle-class group,” he said.

He added that about 12,000 traffic summonses for various offences were issued every day nationwide.


What a ill-conceived crazy idea, this will certainly not help to improve road safety, in fact it may even encourage more speeding, recklessness and dangerous driving!!!!!!!

Meanwhile, back in the real world………..the carnage continues:



The Carnage in Puchong

Man killed when articulated lorry hits 14 vehicles, leaving trail of death, injury and destruction, in the 13:45 incident on Monday 30th June 2008, all hell broke loose when an 18-wheel loaded articulated lorry heading towards Puchong Jaya from Kinrara was said to have been speeding and lthen the driver ost control and rammed into a traffic light before ploughing into seven cars, two lorries and five motorcycles.


The lorry driver is believed to have jumped a red traffic light signal at speed, losing control of the heavy lorry as he swerved to avoid a traffic island ahead of the traffic lights.


The articulated lorry atop the crushed car

The lorry then smashed into an oncoming car driven by Myanmar national, Nyu Kyaw Lin, 58, a refugee.

The car was crushed as it went under the lorry, killing Nyu instantly, and was then dragged along by the lorry for about 50 metres.

A police spokesman said it took fire and rescue department personnel 30 minutes to extricate the deceased from the wreckage.

“There were about 20 vehicles waiting at the traffic light when we were hit by the trailer,” an eyewitness was reported as saying.

A driver said he heard a loud crash and felt a strong impact, before his car was flung forward.

The accident caused several cars and motorcycles to be crushed and dragged along by the lorry.

Some news reports said that the four persons who were seriously injured were motorcyclists, others said two were from motor cars, and two were motor cyclists.


The Driver of 18-wheel Articulated Lorry who caused a 14 vehicle crash to be Charged.

The police are going to charge the lorry driver, who smashed into 14 vehicles and killed one person, with causing death by reckless driving.

Selangor traffic police chief Supt Che Hussin Omar said the 64-year-old driver is currently being treated in the Serdang Hospital and would be arrested after he was discharged.

"Based on witness accounts, the driver was speeding before smashing into the vehicles at the junction.”

He would be investigated under Section 41 of the Road Transport Act, 1987, for causing death by reckless or dangerous driving.

Police Supt. Che Hussin said the four patients currently were being treated at the Serdang Hospital were all in a serious but stable condition.


Meanwhile, the Carnage Continues Unabated

The carnage on the roads and highways of Malaysia still continues virtually unchecked, some drivers flaunt traffic rules and regulations with apparent impunity, even immunity.

The Solutions are Simple, but, when will the authorities act?

Have efficient training and strict driving tests for all motorists, and special comprehensive courses and strict driving tests for the issuance of Commercial Driving Licences, Heavy Goods Vehicle licenses and Public Service Vehicle Licenses for buses and coaches, which should only be issued to those with adequate experience, good health and a clean motorcar driving license

The current methods of training are too superficial and and the various stages of all driving tests are far too easy to pass.

Eradicate bribery and corruption.

Implement strict zero tolerance enforcement, without fear or favour around the clock, seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year.

Fit all buses with on-board tachometers, in which are place driver-specific recording tachograph charts, which continuously record speeds, stopping times, etc.

There has been a recent announcement that it will be compulsory at the end of 2008, for all buses to be fitted with GPS devices, which will send signals to the respective bus company regarding the bus's whereabouts, speed, etc., this to me is a pie-in-the sky idea, which is doomed to failure.

Can you remember that the KLIA Taxis (Limos) had these initially, but soon they became defunct!!!! Now they cannot be seen at all.

The same thing happened for the amber speed indicating lights which indicated speeding (over 90 km/h) of small commercial vehicles!

Unless and until positive and sensible things are implemented nothing will ever change!

The Carnage will Continue on the Roads and Highways of Malaysia.


Bullshit doesn't baffle anyone in Malaysia any more!


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How can a 64 year old drive a lorry what more long trailer. He would have retired from normal active work and may only be doing light duties. Maybe the JPJ should study on what basis was the license renewed. This is one of the many reasons for road accidents.

I definitely do not agree with anyone who shoots from his belt that "SPEED KILLS".

Many causes include the road construction, furnitures, the excessive heavy advertisement over the highways (raring to fall down by Murphy's Law and rusting due to usual poor maintenance attitude), ponding, road curvature which does not allow one to see further in the distance, confusing signboards only apprenhensible and familiarized by locals (a family safe the driver who got out of the car to check for directions at a branch off ramp was annihilated by lorry ), etc, etc.

Only the wrong speed kills. The hogger in the fast lane. He causes vehicles to slow down and overtake him on his left. The old car which could not go above 80 kph on the 110 kph highway. He causes lorries to overtake into the middle lane in the path of fast vehicles. Lorries and buses overtaking other heavy vehicles

The north south highway with two lanes each way is inadequate for the traffic load and should have been upgraded to minimum three lanes long ago. The present widening is a safety risk for travellers. Has the government made the operator reduce the toll for such stretches where work is carried out. Also the heavy vehicles after the day’s work should not be parked so close to highway and in the dark at night without warning lights. It is better the vehicles be taken to various store yards.