Santan-rich food leads to higher road fatalities?

1280px-Nasi_Lemak,_Mamak,_Sydney

Apparently santan-rich cuisine such as nasi lemak can increase road accident fatalities, according to the traffic police chief in a report by Oriental Daily.

A total of 199 people were killed during 15 day long Ops Selamat 6, which was held over the Chinese New Year period in February. Of this, 94 victims were Malay, 41 were Chinese, 31 were Indian, 22 were Malaysian of other ethnicities, while the balance 11 were foreigners.

To explain these statistics, the traffic police postulated the different cuisine enjoyed by each ethnicity. Apparently the 47% or so percent of Malay fatalities are because of high calorie food like the santan-rich nasi lemak which tend to cause people to feel sleepy after a meal, while Chinese drivers supposedly didn’t face the same problem with their food.

CAPITOL-NASI-DAGANG

After eating a meal with high levels of sugars and carbohydrates, our blood sugar level spikes, and this is followed by a drop which results in low energy levels. There’s also the “post-lunch dip”, which is a natural dip in alertness at about 2pm because of our circadian rhythms. This combined with a heavy meal explains why we feel so lethargic after a big banana leaf rice meal.

Bukit Aman traffic police chief Mohd Fuad Abdul Latiff stressed that he was not an expert on the matter and these are just theories based on discussions. He also said that the high Malay victim count could be because of faster driving or a higher percentage of them being motorcyclists.

So there you have it folks. If you want to be safe on the highway, avoid santan at all costs. In all seriousness though, we think nasi lemak is a food that is enjoyed equally by all ethnic groups, and based on Malaysia’s ethnic breakdown, the ratio for the road fatalities seem to match – 50.1% Malay based on 2010 data. So we think this isn’t really an ethnic issue at all.

The good news is Ops Selamat 6 seemed to have worked. There were are an average of 1,300 (fatal and non-fatal) accidents in Malaysia each day throughout 2014, but that figure dropped to 1,100 during the 15-day operation.

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Harvinder Sidhu

Harvinder Singh Sidhu thinks there's nothing better than Formula 1, not even sliced bread. Having written about cars since 2006, he plunged head first into the industry out of a passion for all things four-wheeled and everything in between. The F1 enthusiast has been following the sport since 1999 and has been keeping up with it since. In between races he keeps himself busy as the host of the Driven motoring show and as our version of the Joker.

 

Comments

  • komarad on Mar 17, 2015 at 2:41 pm

    nope… most accidents involved bikes…so…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 32 Thumb down 5
    • azrai on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:44 pm

      I ate Nasi Kandar with additional kaskas (poppy seed). Still no accident maa…Now we know what kind of education Malaysian have, like those pity TPM, shocked to find out our student ranking beside huge educational budget every year.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 47 Thumb down 2
      • Tunship for Trafik Polis Chief! on Mar 17, 2015 at 4:17 pm

        Of all the bodoh statements I have heard, this is the champion la. It is so so stupid, I respect the polis chief for coming out with the dumbest statement in history that I propose the Government to give him “Tun” ship.

        In Malaysia, the more bodoh you are, the further you go in the Government and you are 100% guaranteed to be awarded Datukship for your stupidity.

        But in this case, this is so classic, I strongly urge the Government to award the Trafik Polis chief the award of Tun because he fully deserves it.

        Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 92 Thumb down 3
        • apanama on Mar 17, 2015 at 4:47 pm

          Hahaha…of all the idiotic comments from our supposedly top people, this is the most hilarious. Only the ‘do you know balotelli’ remark can hope to top this up. I never know Malaysia has so many powerful clowns running the show.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 27 Thumb down 1
      • Gargantia on Mar 17, 2015 at 4:26 pm

        But BN supporters still happy even the ministers keep on corrupt and blame on Rakyat.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 37 Thumb down 0
    • Achtung on Mar 17, 2015 at 4:53 pm

      Dear Mr Wolf Vaupel,

      Drinking beer also very dangerous for driving. If you take Nasi Lemak, it will be even worse. So beer and nasi lemak surely more deadly than optiron meter panel lights. Please take note okay.

      Thank you.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 5
    • Pls stop making stoopid remark and concentrate on catching more crooks. And not just simply catch opposition leader for fun after eating nasi lemak. Knn!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 29 Thumb down 0
  • DonkeyKong on Mar 17, 2015 at 2:44 pm

    Just look around at what these people drive.. you can see crappy Iswara, Waja, Wira, Kancil, Honda Civic EG & EK.. all lousy cars with no safety features.. but heavily tarted up as if they’re racing cars and driven as if they’re indestructible. Of course they’ll end up in worse shape after an accident..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 50 Thumb down 104
    • Prominence on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:46 pm

      Civic EG & EK are lousy cars? Have you seen what these cars are capable of during Sepang time attack?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 44
      • DonkeyKong on Mar 17, 2015 at 4:44 pm

        Have you seen what happens to those lousy tin cans during accidents? They’re no better than the Wira.. qualify for not more than 1 star safety rating.. and yet the fools who buy modified versions think that they’re “solid” and indestructible. Crap NVH, crap build quality, but poor people love them due to syiok sendiri, thinking they’re driving a sports car

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 26 Thumb down 56
        • Prominence on Mar 17, 2015 at 8:24 pm

          Are you sure that these are cars for poor people? Do you even know the maintenance for B16A/B16B/B18C swapped EG and EK?

          What happens to the car during accidents is a subjective matter. The outcome after the accident is dependent on many factors like the travelling speed, what the car actually hit and which area of the car the impact landed. If the odds are against you during an accident, you could have died even inside a car with 5 star NCAP rating.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 11
          • ProminentWife on Mar 18, 2015 at 10:31 am

            DonkeyKong is correct. the cars he mentioned r indeed lousy low safety car. fast car or not is another story.

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 34
    • o0oDonkeyCock on Mar 18, 2015 at 11:40 am

      Driver fault please don’t push it to car, what crappy Iswara Wira Waja Civic EK EG are all lousy car? Don’t you say you are rich ass can afford expensive protect vehicle to save your dog life but those driving “crappy” car is poor then you can disrespect it.

      Sikit respect pun tak ada, still dare to sound. I think you ate too much nasi lemak lah? Ppsh…

      Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 94 Thumb down 2
  • jemah on Mar 17, 2015 at 2:45 pm

    tayar lori tercabut motor tak dpt elak then jatuh cedera teruk ..itu tayar tercabut sebab terlalu banyak makan nasi lemak…

    Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 64 Thumb down 1
    • SureRock on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:06 pm

      Bukanlah…drebar lori tu makan nasi lemak banyak sangat…lebih muatan tu tercabut

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 33 Thumb down 2
  • Why lah do we have such people in our public services giving moronic statements unsupported by any facts. Unless they did a post-mortem of the victims and found nasi lemak in the stomachs, I’m going to continue with my usual breakfast dish.

    Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 62 Thumb down 0
    • Abu Sayur on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:16 pm

      Our taxes are being given to such idiots in the system. Santan? Are u f’in kidding me

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 31 Thumb down 0
  • Lorat on Mar 17, 2015 at 2:52 pm

    That is nasi dagang, not nasi lemak.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 15 Thumb down 1
  • “Of this, 94 victims were Malay, 41 were China, 31 were Indian, 22 were Malaysian of other ethnicities, while the balance 11 were foreigners.”

    Not China lah…

    Anyway, it is high time the police segregated the victims into more logical classes rather than the irrelevant ethnicity.

    Example: gender, age group, physical health condition, social class, blood-alcohol level, vehicle types, etc.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 46 Thumb down 0
    • 4G63T DSM on Mar 17, 2015 at 4:58 pm

      Malays are 60+% of the population. Chinese are what 25%? So the statistics simply reflect on demographics.

      I’m sure the largest amount of accident cars are Protons and Peroduas….why? Simply because there are more of them on the road.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 31 Thumb down 1
      • jacksonljs on Mar 17, 2015 at 10:12 pm

        To make matter worse, those cola tin can old Protong and even new Perutdua cars modded with powerful engine to enable them to smoke here and smoke there for enhance their ‘sendiri syok’ feeling, the rest such as upgrading brakes and handling always belakang kira, or never at all (like that buy coffin and a place to hell is a lot more better for them especially for those modded car drivers that like to smoke here and smoke there on the road).

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2
  • azhar on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:01 pm

    so whats next?..we can be as good as lewis hamilton if we ate dim sum?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 36 Thumb down 2
    • Aku bukan Lewis on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:22 pm

      Lewis Hamilton eat burgers, mind you…

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 25 Thumb down 0
      • Akunakjadilewis on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:25 pm

        He eat Nicole!

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 36 Thumb down 1
      • azhar on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:47 pm

        burgers full of cholesterol..i really doubt he ate that

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 4
        • shahril on Mar 17, 2015 at 4:11 pm

          Wagyu beef or kobe patties my friend
          not your everyday burger Ramli junk.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 0
          • what? wagyu magically banish all dem calories? haha..u are hilarious. it lessen them yes. but it won’t make them calorie-free

            Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • 4G63T DSM on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:10 pm

    …….we have a moron for a police chief. This is what a sheltered government service breeds.

    The issue here is that 199 people died in that short period.

    And this loony blames nasi lemak.

    The FACT is, the bulk of the fatalities are motorcyclist and in cars which are far far behind in safety standards…. driving in road conditions that are far from idea.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 28 Thumb down 0
  • hanssen on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:17 pm

    Who’s research is this to compile in the report?…lousy

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • Lolol on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:19 pm

    Better ask Mr Wolf and his wife to avoid santan rich food. Factually more “Deadly” than Myvi Dash. LOL.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0
  • fatal_accident on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:25 pm

    Yeah, correct. As if the police interviewed all of the dead people and all of them admit to have eaten nasi lemak and drank santan b4 the journey.

    Piii raaaahhh how can you make such a conclusion.

    I think they all ate croissant, cereal and half-boiled egg b4 the accident. How abt that, huh?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 0
    • Low Budget on Mar 17, 2015 at 5:51 pm

      The traffic police chief went to heaven personally and interviewed those who perished in traffic accident and confirmed they ate nasi lemak before they crashed.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • tokmoh. on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:39 pm

    JPJ say number plate cause accident.

    PDRM say santan food cause accident.

    German expat say illuminated panel cause accident.

    Who’s next? Can we have MAI blame cheaper car cause accident?

    Saiful blame Anwar cause accident?

    Tony Pua blame 1MDB cause accident?

    Perkasa blame… oops. Too much racing vroom vroom.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 44 Thumb down 2
  • Blame the attitude..not food!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 0
  • frossonice on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:50 pm

    Facepalm.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • kenny on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:52 pm

    Luckily it is the IGP that mentioned this, if other persons mentioned this will turn into racial issue on the ground it belittle the Muslim culture and cuisine.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 2
  • kenot on Mar 17, 2015 at 4:05 pm

    I just want to: kahkahkahkah for this report.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Rocket scientist on Mar 17, 2015 at 4:10 pm

    So the police is trying to be a wannabe scientist? The numbers base on race clearly reflects somewhat to the racial composition of Malaysia population. In fact if the Chinese is now about 20% and Malay 60%, that would mean Chinese death rate is higher. Does that mean santan is not that fatal afterall?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0
  • droll on Mar 17, 2015 at 4:10 pm

    what? really????? when 50% of the population are Malays, it’s NO WONDER the accident rates involving Malays are higher. my god……should make a wheel that rotates with rubber palms on it so that I can facepalm myself repeatedly. Sheesh!!!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 2
  • Kenapa la kao tak buat road block…. Guna santan detector….

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 36 Thumb down 1
    • Haha..no need detector la Fozi. Ask them to fart..already can detect curry or nasi lemak..sure smell one..hahha

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
  • Sandiwara (Member) on Mar 17, 2015 at 4:36 pm

    Hahaha Malaysians getting a taste of their own medicine

    The latest “Malaysianized” German expat who is blind as a bat who cant differentiate whether his car headlamps are on or off and blames Peroduo for it runs on the same logic what

    High accident rates because no 6 airbags, no VSC la, no EBD la no BA la no BLIS la, no Headlamp ON indicator la

    Its everyones fault but not theirs

    So this fellow also learn from Malaysian logic la, blame high accident rate because drivers ate too much santan and drive too much motorcycle

    Malaysian’s wayang kulit really best la, cannot shit blame the floor for being too hard

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1
  • heybadigol (Member) on Mar 17, 2015 at 4:58 pm

    Did they analyse the stomach content of all the people who were involved in these accidents before coming up with this analysis?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
  • Nasi Lemak on Mar 17, 2015 at 5:50 pm

    Why Nasi Lemak? What about nasi dagang, nasi kerabu, nasi kandar. It’s still nasi right?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
    • Dr Dogter Heart-beat on Mar 18, 2015 at 10:35 am

      only nasi with santan would increase the rate of fatality. sudden heart failure rate would also be higher after santan consumption. the polis chief has a valid point there.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Holofanboi on Mar 17, 2015 at 7:03 pm

    I agree with this theory. Noticed that whenever i have curry laksa for breakfast, i am hitting almost every pothole there is in damansara.

    I am sure it has absolutely NOTHING to do with me sleeping in late the night before whatsoever.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 3
  • Hahahaha..adoi laa..baca tajuk pun dah buat aku hepi..hahaha..apa apa saja lah chief police. janji hilang stress aku rini..tocey chief..hahaha.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 1
  • New Motto: No nasi lemak, no accident

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 1
  • wajib on Mar 17, 2015 at 11:45 pm

    Nasi Lemak if tambah banyak nasi can make you Gemuk macam…je not accident.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1
  • Samad Jain on Mar 17, 2015 at 11:47 pm

    hahahahahha……what a blardy joke!!

    Like that, better BAN nasi lemak nationwide…
    No nasi lemak for breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper.

    What’s next?? No Iced lemon tea?
    becoz iced lemon tea make ppl go pee-pee and they would desperately stop at roadside to pee, and caused accident too????

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • rizalrosli on Mar 18, 2015 at 12:36 am

    Pls don’t blame nasi lemak, nasi lemak is innocent, nasi lemak has nothing to do with this, pls don’t take nasi lemak away from us…LOL

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
  • Singh on Mar 18, 2015 at 5:22 am

    Don’t you think our malaysian made cars should now also incorporate a ‘santan’ meter detactor on the dashboard? This might become a compulsory safety feature.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0
  • SuperJet on Mar 18, 2015 at 9:52 am

    Perhaps, this was tested by 2 polis ate too much nasi lemak and slept in police station. This incident was shared on FB.

    So, they come out this Nasi Lemak issue.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 1
  • bongcs on Mar 19, 2015 at 9:58 am

    My fav is Nasi Lemak. I eat it sometimes at breakfast. I felt like a Man after that.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
 

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