There are some updates on the compulsory rear safety belt issue that came up sometime earlier this month. Rear seat passengers will have to buckle up from June 2008 onwards, but it will begin with a three-month adjustment period with only warnings issued by the police instead of summons. Summons will start being issued for offenders of this new ruling in August onwards (3 months later).
This ruling only applies to cars manufactured from January 1995 onwards. Older cars such as my 1992 Ford Telstar will not be affected by this rule. A problem would be my Proton Perdana, which I bought second hand with the rear seatbelts intact but the buckles are somehow missing. I will have to get them fitted again somehow.
The Perodua Kenari and Perodua Kancil models made between 1998 and 2004 are also exempted from the ruling. These cars not only do not have rear seat belts, they do not have anchorage points for rear seat belts to be retrofitted.
According to Road Safety Department director-general Datuk Suret Singh, Perodua models between 1995 to 1998 and 2004 to 2005 did have anchorage points, but no seat belts. Datuk Suret says the department has proposed to Perodua for these cars to have their rear seatbelts fitted for free, but it is up to the Perodua management for a positive response to the proposal. Owners of these cars will have until 2011 (3 years) to have them retrofitted.
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The G says if more than 3 person at the backseat, only 3 to buckle up. The other than 3 don’t have to. What? Moreover, there try to implement the compulsary seatbelt for baby’s seat. I wonder how much Perodua will charge to retrofit those seatbelt. I wait until 2011.
Azrai, I believe G would impose maximum passenger limit together with this. No point having 5 people to buckle up when people are still overloading their vehicles.
What about Lorry drivers? Are they also required to buckle up as well or still being exempted?
The short is, Perodua MUST BE MADE to install the rear seat belts for FREE.
This is part of being a responsible marque. Its no excuse to leave out safety gear like seatbelts which really dont cost much at all.
Of course the Government has to limit pass to the number of seatbelts. If not whats the point of these laws? Thats the norm for any “developed” country.
so far, no news of any max. passenger limit. to me, it sounds like they’re creating a loophole on purpose. Coz they know lots of people in our country cannot afford more than 1 car, or an mpv..etc. but have way more than 5 people in the family. At the moment, they cant even enforce effectively 3-4 people on a motorbike, or helmet wearing, let alone wearing seatbelts in the front. I would like to see how they enforce seatbelt wearing in the rear.
on a separate note, i still remember my mums saga way back in 1992, it had 3 seatbelts in the rear as well.
Paul, this is a joke. Low to middle-income big families have been putting more kids into their Kancil, Kelisa, Saga and Wira rear seats more than the buckles can support.
As long as the government continue to hit the poor rakyat with ridiculous taxes imposed on mid and full size MPVs, we can expect many large families to flout this rule. The sub-90K Livina and sub-60K Avanza (still considered expensive after tax) just won’t cut it, first because of lack of headroom at the back and second, with all seats down, no more room for balik kampung loads and stuffs.
I remembered in Sabah of a case where 11 people cramped in a kancil died in a road accident… eleven!!!
Fight for the rights of low to middle income families for their access to affordable, proper and safe 7 seater!
they government always wanted to enforce law to the rakyat……..I’ve saw many police officer when on duty driving the police do not even bother to buckle up, let alone want to enforce the law…….
Is the Government officer exempted from buckle up? how do you enforce law if you are not following………some police officer driving waja police car like enjoying the ride to jolly rather to keep the security secure………i encounter once, when i horn the police driver, the bustard already blocking the road by driving at the center of 2 lanes, turn his head back and starring at me like want to start a fight…….how do you want the rakyat to follow when the officer himself is abusing the law?
The statement made concerning Perodua Kenaris not having the anchorage points is a load of bull. My Kenari bought in 2001 had rear seatbelts fitted at the dealer prior to delivery as per my request and I was billed by their service centre for parts and labour amounting to RM200+.
It was a simple matter of purchasing the belts and fasteners and locking them onto the anchorage points.
I don’t think it would make sense for Perodua to have a chassis for the Malaysian market without the anchorage points and another for the export market with the points. All Kenaris come with the points. I know of others with older Kenaris who have done the same too.
how about kelisa?
haha, yes I totally agreed with some of the responces.
What is the purpose of bucking up the seatbelt if the numbers of passenger not control in the first place!
I laughed to myself when the news reported that only 3 person need to wear seatbelt and the additional person(S) was exempted!
Silly isn’t it.
The attitude of the driver is crucial for total road safety. Even if you may have airbags, aircurtains, 9 set of seat-belts and tonnes of protective metal shielding, it does not make the vehicle safer if the driver is still a devil-in-disguise – if he/she doesn’t kill himself, he/she will still kill many innocent motorists if he/she posseses the wrong attitude!
I drive a 1999 Toyota Unser and it originally came with 8 sets of seat-beltings ie. 2 for the front, 3 for the 2nd row and 3 for the last. However, over the years, due to wear and tear, fraying and damages (due to accidentally being stomped over by the 2nd and 3rd row seats), I have no choice but to replace some of these beltings if I do want them to be certifiable safe!
Another concern would be the business opportunists who would be smilling from ear-to-ear when June dateline arrives. The belts may be certified by SIRIM but are the installers and cars to be installed to certified?
Honestly, I think Malaysians in general are not concerned about their safety. Putting on the seatbelt is a very simple thing but most people find it an inconvenience. What’s even more worrying is those who argue over it. Come on people, this simple rule is to help SAVE YOU & YOUR LOVED ONE’S LIFE in the event of an accident. Is someone’s life worth less than the RM200+ to install seatbelts in your Peroduas?
And then there’s this group of people who just wanna stuff more than they should into a car. Overloading changes the handling of the car, making it dangerous not only to those in the car but also others on the road! Of course, any 5 seater car can accomodate 7 or even 8 people without much problem during normal driving but with the added weight, tires are compressed further and will overheat easily, providing less grip. During emergency, the car will take longer to brake or will lose steering control. What do you expect with 11 in a Kancil? That’s why there are rules to ensure cars are not overloaded. Being poor is an excuse. It’s like the bank robber saying he has no money that’s why he robbed the bank. If I don’t have a car, I take the bus. I don’t steal my brother’s car. There’s always a way to solve any problem but don’t break the law and jeopardize the lives of others just to do so.
no more Saturday night “sardin” in my uncle’s Waja…lol~
yes, a lot fatal accident happen, the rear passenger being thrown out from the car … not to say it will 100% safe with seat belt on but at least safer then without wearing it.
vee,
why u said they lied about no anchorage points for their 1998 and 2004 cars? i can’t think of any reason why they want to lie about that… it’s rather embarrasing for them to admit it, so why lie on something that can embarrased u? i’m sure u r not lying about your kenari but perodua said otherwise…
Paul Tan says: it could be that the periods of having no anchorage points for the Kancil and Kenari may be different but the news reporters lumped them together
I truly think that rear seat belt is a must based on the experience that my family had. However, what the government didn’t take into consideration is the fact that with rear seat belt enforcement, they have to make sure people understand that for infant/kids, they will need a car seat/booster seat to be seated and secured properly.
Without a car seat/booster seat, the belt is going to glaze the neck of the kids and this poses a safety risk when something were to happen. My wife, while picking up my 2 kids from school was hit by a car coming out from a side road where the other lady was talking on the phone (btw, it is in US and most part of US still don’t ban mobile phone while driving yet). All 6 airbags were deployed but luckily with my 2 kids on car seat and booster seat respectively and securely fastened, they only got a shock without any injury. Imagine the scenario if they are not secured in their car seats!!!
Being in that situation before, i truly understand the need of having each of those who rides in a car to be securely fastened. However, what i would like to see is for the Government to promote using car seat/booster seat for kids as well as only then it will serve the original purpose.
And of course, as a byproduct, make sure the car seat is affordable in Malaysia, which, sadly, is not the case right now……
zk9 said,
April 28, 2008 @ 9:03 am
Paul, this is a joke. Low to middle-income big families have been putting more kids into their Kancil, Kelisa, Saga and Wira rear seats more than the buckles can support.
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While this is unfortunate, you can thank Umno for this mess. After years of “we will help you so have more kids”, the typical kampong folk has taken it hook, line and sinker. Umno has just taken you as pawns (for votes) while they get richer.
If they are really serious about improving the “taraf hidup” of Malay kampung folks, they should have advised them to have less kids.
Seriously if a 2nd car cost too much (nowadays 5k will buy an old but in many ways decent used car), how can you afford to have 5+ kids? And put them through school and hope they will have a better life? If you can barely put food on the table, having more kids wont help. Where is the logic?
Before I get flamed for being a racist, this isn’t just for Malay folks, I see many chinese and indian families of the lower income group having too many kids. And these come even more disadvantaged as they don’t get the help the Bumi’s do.
I will apologize if this comes of as a little insensitive.
Seat belts saves lives. Booster and child seats save lives. Airbag saves lives. While someone will always say that driving carefully is good, to quote an old adage, “sh1t happens”.
Old habits die hard, even it is for our own good. Given that some Malaysian families have more than 3 kids, the numbers are going down. The point here is SAVING LIVES. Remember how it was when the G told everyone to buckle up back in the 70s? Initially it was difficult because the Morris Minors and Volkswagens don’t install them at that time. However i do remember my father installing them on our Datsun Bluebird 1964 because the G at that time were planning to enforce front set belt usage. This was in sometime in 1966 or 67. But no rear seat belts, of course, but nobody used them because there was no regulation then.
It is strange that a car manufacturer more than 30 years later like P2manufacture cars without rear seat belts just to make that extra profit. Where is their corporate responsiblilty and care for human lives? It should be retrofitted at no charge since it should have been there in the first place. They knew it will be used by the lower income group who have large familiies, yet they have the temerity to take out the rear seat belts! Shame on you P2.
Even if you sit at the back of a Singapore taxi, you must wear a seat belt. Like someone said earlier, if we considered ourselves a developed country, we have to change our mindset and think like one, and concentrate on issues that matters – SAFETY.
Well 4G63T DSM , it is RIGHT to advise village folks to have LESS kids?
The lack of attention from govt and investment from private sector has failed to bring the poor folks out of their agrarian class into the more affluent economic class hierarchy, and unlike urban folks, they have to rely on their children to support them when they are old (as in rural Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia).
Their right to have adequate number of children should not be trampled by others right to collect money on behalf of them to build infrastructures concentrated mostly in urban areas (import and excise tax used to build highways, megaprojects etc)… taxing the poor and benefiting the rich…
My original post mainly concerns poor and middle income Malaysian families who live in the suburbs regardless of race. It is also wrong to say that in order to increase our quality of life, we must start having less and less kids… that is against the spirit of all beliefs of major communities. Instead, the distribution of resources should be optimized for equitable and justifiable sharing of economic pie to everyone.
Anyway since you have touched on racism, sociopolitics, bumi issues etc, I have to say that poor Malaysians, no matter whether they are Malays Chinese or Indians are equally disadvantaged, so it is unfair to you to mention “these come even more disadvantaged as they don’t get the help the Bumi’s do” as if the policies are skewed towards benefiting Bumis at the expense of the rest.
Okay, maybe the Indians might deserve to say that they are both politically and economically sidelined, but price-fixing, antitrust and monopoly practices by the Chinese is very evident in all levels of private sector, the same way the Chinese felt on the Malays’ relentless, strong grip on the civil and public service sector.
By the way, I am mixed.
car_craze said,
April 29, 2008 @ 8:57 am
It is strange that a car manufacturer more than 30 years later like P2manufacture cars without rear seat belts just to make that extra profit. Where is their corporate responsiblilty and care for human lives? It should be retrofitted at no charge since it should have been there in the first place. They knew it will be used by the lower income group who have large familiies, yet they have the temerity to take out the rear seat belts! Shame on you P2.
++++++
yeah…shame on P2! all you care about is profits.
zk9 said,
April 29, 2008 @ 12:24 pm
“these come even more disadvantaged as they don’t get the help the Bumi’s do†as if the policies are skewed towards benefiting Bumis at the expense of the rest.
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Risking throwing this off topic, all I would say is, Isn’t it that way?
Whatever the race is, as per family units, the pie is the same, whether it is 2 kids or 5. Don’t you think the larger the family unit is, the less to go around? Isn’t it that way for most of us that we have less kids so more resources can be dedicated to each kid? I don’t have kids yet, and even then I have started education funds for them. This is preparation for sending them abroad since our local universities are biased, and of low standard (no prizes for guessing who’s at fault here). I can’t afford to have 5 kids and I’m a midlde ware earner.
Less kids = bigger slice of the pie.
That is just simple logic.
As I have already said, posted up top, Perodua should be made responsible in properly equipping thier cars for thier customers. This could be a simple mandate from the Government. Very very clear its another haphazard law from the Government.
Paul you Perdana rear seatbelts buckles is under the seat.just dismantle the rear seat and you ll find the buckles attach to the car body.Just pull it out .you don’t have to get a new pair.They normaly don’t dismantle it .they just tuck it underneath the seat.