As we approach the end of the year, the monsoon season in Malaysia brings rainfall on a more frequent basis, and so the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) has issued a reminder on its traffic investigation and enforcement department (JSPT) Facebook page to take due care when driving in heavy rain.
Among these is a reminder to mind that old habit: when driving in heavy rain, do not use the hazard lights, because as its name indicates, is for use in emergencies only. They are not “double signals”, as they are so often wrongly called in the vernacular.
Doing so will pose several dangers. Having been first taught in driving school that hazard lights are to signify a vehicle that has stopped for an emergency, this will cause confusion for motorists travelling behind the still-moving vehicle, adding unnecessary stress on top of the already reduced visibility for the drivers following. To better mark one’s presence on the road, use the dipped main beam instead.
Worse still, remember the tale of “the boy who cried ‘wolf'”? If and when the erroneous use of hazard lights becomes normalised, as it probably has, this will pose great, immediate danger to everyone involved if the vehicle with the hazard lights on is, in fact, stopped, and the driver of the trailing vehicle considers the scenario – in poor visibility, remember – to be just another car driven with its hazard lights on. One can imagine the ensuing drama with the closing speed between the two vehicles.
On that note, slow down for adverse conditions, the JSPT reminds drivers. While the illustration in the JSPT graphic suggests keeping below 80 km/h to avoid aquaplaning, the reality is that conditions will vary and if at any point one feels uncertain of safety, one should reduce speed even further.
In the rain, more of the usual precautions apply, too. Increase the distance between your vehicle and the one ahead of you to give yourself more room to react, as poorer visibility also affects reaction times when the driver has to work harder to determine the situation on the road ahead. This also allows for reduced grip due to rain water and consequently, anything else that may have washed up to the road surface.
One more precaution to take is to try and avoid the far-right-hand-side lane during or after very heavy rain, as there may be standing water on the lane in the opposite direction. Particularly on highways where barriers are relatively low, standing water could be splashed across by vehicles coming the other way, and because the right-hand lane is the fastest-moving, water is likely to be thrown the highest, and as a result cover more of one’s windscreen and increasing the duration of the temporary “blindness”.
Be mindful of standing water hazards in one’s own lane, too. Aquaplaning will cause temporary loss of control, and in an extreme example, a car has ended up on its roof. This also serves to remind that tyres are intended to be the only points of contact between a vehicle and the road, so do ensure they are in optimum condition for use.
All in, here’s a reminder once again to drive to the conditions, remember the correct use of your vehicle’s hazard lights, and increase physical distancing between vehicles – and reduce speed – when the rain gets heavy. Safe driving, everyone.
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Yes, hazard lights are to signify a vehicle that has stopped for an emergency, which is why the hazard lights switch is marked by the red triangle symbol. But then what about the use of hazard lights in police escort convoys?
Maybe what they are escorting is hazardous.
May be their mysejahtera already changed colour.
Yep. Truely correct. They should use strobe light instead, maybe more appropriate.
The authorities didn’t warn of one very glaring shortcoming when using hazard lights on-the-go. You can’t use turn signals. But then again here in Malaysia, using turn signals to indicate one’s intentions is near extinct, so maybe the omission can be forgiven.
which authority empowered to reprimand law breaking police escort convoys? JPJ? No check and balance?
To indicate the VIPs are a road hazard?
Are they bad drivers?
And please, please rain x your windshields for gods sake
Same goes to those who accessorize their to the brim and yet can’t afford to buy rm20 wiper blades from Mr.diy
Yup, so many brands for Rain X nowadays, even cheap ones (<RM20) works quite well. Totally different visibility during heavy downpour.
Does this apply to a convoy of “VIP” cars, from one to several of them driving through the motorway with their hazard lights on? This obviously excludes those that are escorted by PDRM.
I can’t recall the number of times I encountered a black Perdana or Vellfire tailing with its double signals on, implying that I should know my peasant status and get out of the way.
To indicate the VIPs are a road hazard?
no need to ask the same question more than once..
Another thing that we need is a link between the wiper switch and the position lights. The lights should be made to turn on automatically once the wiper is activated, either manually or by the rain sensor.
What if you only want to clean your windshield on a perfect sunny day? Light on and off on and off?? keke. that is why ppl created auto light already. when it’s raining or gloomy, it will be triggered. No need to re invent the wheel.
Don’t think I want to turn on the light when I wipe bird shit..lol
who even taught them this stupid thing
once 1 idiot turn on hazard light, u can see many doing the same. crazy bastard those people
don’t forget about the those driving with rear fog lights on. in heavy rain is okay lah but is very blinding when used in very light rain or no rain at all.
Only Toyota users are guilty of doing that
Usually found on continental makes
Normally stupid vios owner do this often
A timely reminder. But reminders alone won’t work with most Malaysian drivers. Fine them!
This has nothing to do with hazard lights but since it is about rain, thought I’d mention. I once lived in a foreign western city and one of their rules is to turn on the headlights when the wipers are on. In other words, when there is rain (or snow, but not happening here in bolehland), turn on your headlights. They come with the car, might as well use them.
Maybe they taught us this in driving school but that was years ago. Dah lupa oops..
Hazard lights only for VIPs and their escorts/outriders. They are the smart ones.
They know they’re going to break down. So sediakan lampu sebelum rosak.
Good… now please ban the use of rear foglight unnecessarily on a clear weather night time…
Most important safety note is to ensure sufficient tyre thread. Recently I encountered cars skidding even with light rain and low speed.
Guide to Malaysian male drivers (not applicable to female):
– No money for brake pads, wipers, tyres, headlight bulb but got money for big spoiler and side skirt
– Total belief that they are better drivers than Max Verstappen
– Zig zag across traffic thinking they are Hamilton at Monza but end up behind you at the next traffic light
– Signal doesn’t exist in their world, except when see polisi and then hit the hazard light button to show they have not 1 but 2 signal lights
Light coverage for high beam and low beam.
What is Malaysia standard?
I wonder how many Malaysian drivers remember when or how to use the turn signal. Just wondering.