5 Useful Tips for Malaysian Road User

In my last post, I wrote an article on “5 Things Malaysian Road Users May Not Know”. I am feeling creative today and thought of writing another 5 tips that may be useful for Malaysian road user. Here goes:

1) Parking machines’ failure to issue tickets.

Parking machines have from time to time failed to issue us receipts.

Although, we have often put in money for parking, at times, certain machines do not reciprocate by providing us the receipts we expect to receive.

Worst of all, some machines totally do not issue any receipts at all. In such a situation, what are we to do?

For such situation, what a driver can do is to write a note. Place it on the dashboard of your car. Inform the authorities, and in this case, the local council that you have paid for the duration of the time for parking. As to whether the authorities will accept your explanation is left to be seen.

In most cases, I presume, your appeal will be upheld. However, you should accept the fact that you could be summoned for non payment of parking dues.

2) Tagging along a small child on which side should a child be tagged?

I have often seen parents, especially mothers tagging along a small child with them. Unfortunately, some parents tag a small child with them, but what surprises me are mothers who do not seem to know the correct manner of tagging along their children.

When my own grandmother was yet alive, she used to remind us that when tagging along a small child, we should always make it a point to hold the child or our younger sibling with our left hand.

In this way, our younger sibling will always be on the inner most side. This provides added protection to the young child. The mother, father or even brother, will be on the outside.

Should any unforeseen incident happen, the parents or brother will always be the first to absorb the impact of a vehicle hitting or knocking into them. Think about it carefully. You’ll surely understand the reason behind my asking you to always tag along your child with your left hand. In this way, your child would be in a safer inner side of the road.

3) Disembarking from a vehicle without switching the engine off.

As a driver, I’m uncertain if you are aware that dismounting from your vehicle without switching off your engine is an offense. Under the Road Transport Act 1987, Circular K14 RTR, disallows you doing it and under Section 119 (2), you can be fined a tune of RM300 for this.

Therefore, in future, should you feel the necessity to disembark from your vehicle, albeit for a short while, you are advised to switch off your engine first and engage your handbrakes as a safety precaution. Failing which you might likely be summoned for an offense which you most likely never anticipate to happen.

4) Laptops in J.P.J. and Road Transport Department roving surveillance vehicles can verify your driving particulars.

Are you aware that J.P.J. officials, while on their rounds, have laptops in their vehicles which can easily verify under whom the vehicle you are driving is registered?

They can even find out whether the vehicle you are driving has a valid road tax or otherwise.

Likewise, offices in the car can certify as the whether your driving license is valid or otherwise. That’s how sophisticated the authorities are with modern technology that they possess today.

5) Road blocks to be set up under the auspicies of a police inspector only.

If you, all this while felt that a road block can only be set up under the auspicies of a police inspector, then you are totally wrong. The assistant manager of my driving institute, a former J.P.J. official advised me recently that a police office of any rank can set up a road block if and when deemed necessary. With this experience and year of knowledge, I am certain what he advised me should be right.

Hopefully, all the above interesting yet important things I have divulged to you in this article will make you a better driver. At the same time, it is hoped you have found this article to be beneficial and at the same time interesting as well.

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