It appears that nine years since it became mandatory for rear passengers to wear seat belts, Penangites still refuse to buckle up at the back, according to a report by The Sun. Road Safety Council general treasurer Ahmed Ismail Amin said that the practice is almost non-existent in the state, and there were even a number of drivers who did not fasten their seat belts.
“Based on my 90-minute observation during the Chinese New Year Road Safety Advocacy Campaign, I did not see even one rear passenger using a seat belt,” he said. “What I found alarming was that only 80% of drivers had buckled up when I was handing out goodie bags during the campaign.”
Besides expressing his disappointment at the lack of awareness and enforcement of the seat belt ruling, Ahmed Ismail also stressed the importance of motorcyclists wearing their helmets properly when travelling long distance.
“Motorcycle helmets have an average life span of about five years before the material starts to harden and become brittle,” he said. “Those which are dropped often might have hairline cracks which also weakens structural strength. Although most motorcyclists wear helmets on the road, they should also know that the helmet’s strap should not be too loose with a two-finger allowance at the most.”
The comments were made during a Penang Road Safety Department (JKJR) campaign at the Penang Bridge rest area, where officials from the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), police, Road Transport Department (JPJ) and PLUS handed out 300 goodie bags and 100 new helmets to motorists. They also replaced rear lightbulbs on motorcycles for free.
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Not just Penang…its all over Malaysia.
Stop urging, start enforcing.
Because Penangites love to migrate to Klang valley and bring their traffic jam culture and other bad road manners. I always honk or high beam everytime I see a P number plate in Klang valley. Too many of them!
So….. honk and high beam others makes you a good manner KL people ah?? ai yo…. pls lah…
Most offenders have P plate.
same case in Penang, many W plates (especially Myvi and BMW) drive car like drive Formula One, and act like as if their cars dont have signal lights. really too many of them!
Most W plate owners in island came from island.
We original KLites don’t go out of our way for a P plate, unlike Penangites clamoring in JPJ wangsa maju to get W plate due to their inferiority complex.
No need to waste time and resources on this. If they don’t value their lives , it’s their business. When tragedy strikes when they least expect it, that’s when the lesson is learnt although by then it’s too late but rightfully so…
So silly just to say Penang people. The whole of Malaysia like that. Even in Klang Valley, nobody wears back seatbelts.
We have to thank out JPJ and PDRM roadblocks who are heavily taking duit kopi and letting offenders scot free.
They keep on repeating the offence over and over again.
Until JPJ and PDRM, our law enforcers clean up their act, people will keep on breaking the law unfortunately
most malaysians don’t buckle up la.
Where are the authorities ? Who is around to Police this life saving rule ? When the cats outa town, the rats come out to play. By the Police not checking for safety, are they liable for any road deaths attributed to not wearing seat belts ???? No body to check cars who double park, no body to check smokey emissions, no body to check errant drivers who flout the rules, what do you expect ? Talk is cheap !!! Put your money where it counts !!!! Lead by example, then maybe, just maybe people will comply and take heed. Authorities should be banned from sitting in AirCon offices and Kedai Kopi. Shameful ! The authorities lost credibility a long time ago. They should not make a mockery of the regular Anjing who drives.