Malaysian drivers and roads

You know, there's something really wrong with Malaysian drivers. I've driven in several different countries (mostly developed nations though) and in contrast, the Malaysian is truly abysmal in their standards of road-worthiness.

Anytime I take to the road, I'll typically see one if not more of these instances:

1. Inability of the driver to keep within his lane. The tires of the car will touch or cross the diving lines between lanes. Happens constantly.
2. Never heard of using the signal indicators when turning or switching lanes.
3. Side view mirrors are cosmetic accessories on vehicles. A lot of people don’t use them when turning/switching lanes.
4. Switching on the hazard lights whilst driving in heavy rain. Hazard lights are for when your vehicle is at a standstill. Your driving being that of a mobile hazard does not qualify!
5. Driving on the emergency or taxi and bus lane with impunity during periods when you're not allowed to do so. Doing an emergency cut-back into a regular lane (whilst causing near accidents with other drivers in said lane) when you notice a cop standing in the emergency or bus and taxi lane up ahead, with his ticket book in one hand.
6. Putting up sunshades on your rear windscreen. That's illegal by law, and it obstructs the view of the driver behind you from seeing what's up ahead of your vehicle.
7. Jumping queue at junctions/traffic lights. This is truly an art that only our drivers can excel at. Never mind that you're causing law-abiding drivers to spend more time on the road thanks to your selfish acts.
8. Red traffic light? What red traffic light? No car coming lah, just go already dah.
9. Green traffic light = Go. Yellow traffic light = Go faster. Red traffic light = bloody hell, I told you go faster didn't I? Now we gotta wait till the next light change.
10. Pedestrian (zebra) crossing? What pedestrian crossing?
11. One way street? I'm a motorcyclist. Can just go against the flow, no problem.


And on the subject of roads, it's not just the drivers. It's anyone using roads.

1. For pedestrians. Pedestrian bridge? What for climb the pedestrian bridge? It's so high and tiring. Just run across the road when got no car lah.
2. The pedestrian traffic light shows red. Cross the road only lah. Pedestrian lights got no yellow light, so our red is the equivalent of "Stop, or cross if you can."
3. If you've ever been a pedestrian in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, take a look at the pedestrian lights. There are times when they're not in sync with the rest of the traffic lights. When the light should be green, it still shows red, for no reason whatsoever. I've noticed this so many times at different places in town (the Central Market area is a big culprit). Looks like no one in City Hall could be bothered to tweak it.


And what about road maintenance?

There are times I strongly believe that within City Hall and/or the Public Works Department, there are a couple of special hitherto unknown positions to the general public. They are, the Director for the Department of Road Maintenance, assisted by the Deputy-Director (Operations), the Assistant Director (Road Tarring), the Assistant Director (Road Painting - Traffic Lines), the Assistant Director (Road Painting - Speed Bumps), and the Assistant Director (Road Patching). This is of course the operational side of the department.

Before any work orders can be issued by one of these august personages, one has to deal with the administrative half of the department which is led by the Deputy-Director (Administration and Finance), the Assistant Director (Policy), the Assistant Director (Tenders and Contracts), and the Assistant Director (Supply and Logistics).This is all of course a figment of my imagination (I hope!) but I somehow can imagine the existence of such a department.

When road patching works need to be done, it takes forever for it to be attended to, even after a complaint has been lodged. I guess the complaint lands in the DD (Operations) desk who liaises with the DD (Administration & Finance) as to whether a tender needs to be issued. The DD (Administration & Finance) liaises with the AD (Policy) and AD (Tenders and Contracts) to determine whether a tender needs to be called. If not, he then liaises back to DD (Operations) who directs AD (Road Patching) to handle the matter. The AD (Road Patching) will talk to the AD (Supply and Logistics) about requisitioning the necessary bitumen and sand to patch the road, which when he receives will then be passed on the work gang to finish the job.

Yes folks, this is the process they use to get ISO certification!And of course lest I forget, it takes one full lorry load of bitumen and sand to patch several small holes and for some strange reason when the lorry returns back to the depot, it's empty. :P


[Let me interrupt here for a quick commercial on what might happen in the everyday life of someone who lives on landed property (a house so to speak).

DING-DONG (doorbell rings)

House occupant opens front door.

A lorry filled with bitumen and sand is in front of the house. A man stands at the gate by the doorbell.

Man: Uncle, itu driveway mahu tar ah? Banyak murah. (Uncle, do you want us to tar you driveway? Very cheap)

We now go back to our regular article. We apologise for this short interruption.]


And let's not forget signboards on our roads. It's amazing how we can find road signboards blocked by trees, billboards and even posters (exclaiming some exhibition, offer or event).

I have noticed in cases where you’re traveling on a road and the road branches off into two or more directions (leading to the same destination), the signboard will invariably point in the direction of the tolled road. I may be a regular in the city that I live, but I have made the mistake several times of driving onto the tolled road simply because the signboard pointed me in that direction.

To wrap up this article, I note with amusement that over the past 5-6 years, we have got two new government departments related to roads/driving emerging. Where in the past we had the loan Road Transport Department alone to handle vehicle and driver’s licensing as well as certain road enforcement acts (along with the Traffic Police), we now have the Road Safety Department trying its best to change the mindset of the regular Malaysian driver. We also have the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research which conducts studies on how to reduce the accident/death rates on our roads.

Good luck to them, I say! Although frankly, I’m not holding my breath or keeping my fingers crossed.