The Malaysian Transport Minister Datuk
Seri Kong Cho Ha said
the high rate of accidents in the country should not be compared with
other countries. He said that accidents are not limited to our
country only. That is true and fine but what is the harm in comparing
with others? We can learn from others, take the good and discard the
bad, can't we? Or is that a treasonable act?
He mentioned that 100,000 people die on
the roads in China and India compared to 6,877 motorists in the
country who died in road accidents. We have a smaller population
compared to those two countries and our numbers should be
significantly lower. The recent deaths from bus crashes have
increased the number of fatalities. We might even surpass other countries soon in term of deaths caused by road accidents.
Everyone acknowledges that
Malaysian drivers are not the most law-abiding in the world as can be
attested by the many horror recollections from visitors to our
country. Doesn't that speak volumes on the road safety aspects here?
We have ample laws and regulations but
as the hallmark of this country, implementation is not our forte. The
authorities have mounted countless campaigns trying to educate the
motorists but to no avail. Motorcyclists would of course be at the
top of the list of the recalcitrant. This group of motorists seem
hell-bent in trying the patience of other road users. There are some
who abide by the law but they seem to be overwhelmed by those who
ignore the rules blatantly.
We love doing things in our own way so
maybe that is the reason the good minister said that we should not
compare the road accident rate here with other countries. We are
masters of our own destiny and we shall do it our way, the rest of
the world, please take note.
Image from syamsyun84
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