There comes a time when a person has to make a decision, to buy a brand new car or a second hand one. Various pros and cons have to be considered. The final decision however will depend solely upon the person who is buying the car himself or herself.

Today, I will put forward various pros and cons that favour the buying a new vehicle and that of buying a second hand vehicle. You have to weigh both the pros and cons before you arrive at a decision.

Reasons to support your buying a brand new car:-

1) A new car provides you with pride and prestige.

A brand new vehicle obviously will bring you a certain amount of pride and prestige. You will certainly be the proud owner of a new car as compared to a second hand one.

And especially if you are owning a model such as a Mercedes, Volvo or a BMW vehicle. A salesman, who owns one of the above cars, will find that his business will be in a way affected by the type of vehicle be owns.

2) Better service and performance.

New cars obviously tend to provide you better service and performance as compared to a second hand one. Without a doubt, a new car or vehicle will tend to provide you with a better performance or better service all round.

They can, as they say, provide you with reliable services, and fewer breakdowns. Therefore with new cars, you can rely on your new vehicles to provide you with the confidence that you expect from them!

3) Vehicle warranty.

New cars have warranty to cater for breakdowns as compared to vehicles which are slowly undergoing deterioration.

Most new vehicles possess a warranty period of approximately 5 years. If within a 5 year period, a new vehicle should breakdown, then the warranty calls for the agents or distributors to be responsible for repairs and upkeep of the new vehicle.

4) Better fuel efficiency.

New cars are more fuel efficient as compared to older second hand cars. New vehicles are said to be able to give the owner better fuel consumption. This means a new vehicle will be able to provide lesser costs of maintenance to the owner.

5) Better resale value.

New vehicles have a higher resale value. Where resale value of cars are concerned, it is believed that new cars possess a higher resale value as compared to a second hand car.

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What happens if a 17 year old student who is in school or college was to be involved in a serious car accident? First of all, you will lose you capability to drive. You driving license will be withdrawn.

On the other hand, there is a likelihood that you will be jailed too. With a jail sentence, you will no longer be able to pursue your higher education. You and your family will be saddled with lots of worries. In short, I would say, your future will be at stake.

Permit me to relate to you a real life situation. A student of mine, hardly 19 years of age, recently met an accident at a junction. Coming out from a traffic light, another vehicle approaching from a road ahead crashed into the side of his car. Unfortunately, the driver of the said vehicle which hit him died a few days later.

Today, the said student of mine is charged under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Ordinance 1987. He currently awaiting court proceedings which undoubtedly will take many long and tedious years.

This article on dangerous driving is intended to introduce to readers to an incident which happened in Penang just recently.

A Malaysian Airlines stewardess, named Ng Sweet Yuin, 27, died on the spot when her Perodua Myvi was involved in a head on collision with a Proton Satria driven by a youth on the Jelutong Expressway at 3:15 am on Thursday 3rd December 2010.

The youth, an undergraduate, was back from Australia on his semester break, broke both his legs and sustained multiple injuries. Latest investigations into the above incident revealed that in the road accident which killed the air stewardess, indicated that the other drive involved was traveling against the traffic.

Penang state police enforcement operations Chief Assistant Superintendent Ahmad Razali said eyewitnesses told the investigating officer that the 22 year old youth had reportedly turned into the wrong lane upon coming out from a petrol station. Currently, the youth is resting at the Penang Hospital He will be interviewed once he is fit.

The air stewardess died on the spot when her car was involved in a collision with the car driven by the youth along the Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu Expressway.

According to the investigating officer, the fact that the road divider sustained no damage ruled out the possibility of the youth’s car jumping over to the opposite direction before it crashed into Ng’s car.

Sources say, blood samples will have to be taken from both drivers to determine if either of them were intoxicated or high on drugs. Both the cars will also be sent to Puspakom for the required tests.

As has been reiterated earlier, the case is being investigated as causing death by reckless or dangerous driving under Section 41 of the Road Transport Act 1987. In the meantime, the stewardess mother said that the family is currently in the process of instituting legal redress over the said incident.

The youth if found to be guilty will amongst other things undergo a mandatory jailed sentence and fined a hefty RM5000 to RM15,000 penalty while his driving license will also be suspended.

Young drivers throughout Malaysia are thus advised to drive with due care if they do not wish to undergo the same fate as the youth who caused the air stewardess’s death. All drivers should always bear in mind that Section 41 of the Road Transport Ordinance 1987 can in fact hand you a mandatory jail sentence if you should cause death by dangerous and careless driving.

Want to get a Malaysian driving license?
This book will show you how.
=> Click here to learn more!

What can a Malaysian expect when driving in Japan?

Except when in metropolitan cities like Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, transportation in Japan is said to be very inconvenient. One further thing you should know about Japan is, most Japanese people do not own a driving license at all.

If you intend to drive in Japan, permit me to brief you with regards to a few simple road rules and regulations, which you ought to be aware of. They are:
1) Japanese people drive on the left side, like us back home in Malaysia.

2) Drivers’ seats in Japan are located on the right, again, just like in Malaysia.

3) The minimum age to secure a driving license in Japan is 18 years.

4) Japanese people follow international rules.

5) Major signs and roads are in English and of course, Japanese.

6) Drinking and driving is strictly disallowed in Japan.

7) Expressways vary from 80 km/h to 100 km/h. In urban areas, the speed limit is 40 km/h, while in small roads, the speed limit is 30 km/h.

8) Good roads in Japan are available in the country. However, urban areas are usually congested.

9) Most roads are toll free, except expressways.

10) Japanese drivers are well mannered and considerate people.

11) Japanese are said to ignore traffic lights and cross junctions.

12) Japanese drivers are famous for stopping haphazardly on the edge of streets, thereby blocking traffic.

Countries such as Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Taiwan follow other conventions and not the Geneva Convention of 1949 and 1968. They are not recognized by the Japanese government.

License holders from the above nations can however drive in Japan for a period of one year provided their licenses are translated into Japanese by the Japanese Automobile Federation. It can also be translated by the country’s respective embassies or consulates.

People from other countries, other than the above mentioned, must attempt to get a Japanese license if they so desire to drive in Japan.

To get or apply for a Japanese domestic license, you have to be able to pass an eye test and must have stayed in Japan a period of 3 months. To get a driving license in Japan, a person will need several attempts, even for experienced drivers.