Fatal accident in Kg Tunggulian

It is sad to learn that there has been another road fatality in our road. Obviously, there will be no end to 'bloodshed' on the road but the way it occured left us to ponder why road accidents are so frequent at this stretch and other "black spot" in the country. We are not sure what causes him (he is a lone driver) to skid off the road as investigation is still underway.

This alarming rate of fatalities is causing concern among government agencies especially the Police Force and Land Transport Department. According to the latest figures for the past three months of this year, the death toll has tripled compared to the same period of last year. Not a good prospect, itsnt it?

We cannot solely blame the drivers for those mishaps, other factors may come into play such as bad road conditions and design, inadequate warning signs, slippery road and so forth. I remember my collegue said to me on our way to Miri City recently, if accidents occur along Kg Tunggulian (Sungai Liang area), it bounds to claim a life. He recalled his experience witnessing a tragic accident which claimed the life of a driver several years ago.

From his living memories, not less then 10 people have perished along the stretch (Kg Lumut, Kg Sungai Liang, Kg Tunggulian and all the way to Kg Telisai) for the past 5 year! A grim reminder for us what next is going to happen if concerted efforts and mindset shift are not on our agenda. I presume relevant agencies have done their homework well and it is up to motorists or road users to use their senses of abiding to the laws of the road or risk endangering their lives or others.

In view of this, It is very rewarding to share an article from NST recently from a retired Canadian teacher who take up residency in Malaysia. His first hand encounter with hair raising experiences on Malaysian road pushes him to write this article for all of us to reflect what had gone wrong on our society in general. In his article, he is mystifying why Malaysians rank, by and large, among the most courteous and thoughtful people he ever met. Kindness abounds.

He says why is it then that the minute many of them, particularly young men, get behind the wheel of a car, they become kamikaze crazies?Why do cars accelerate to prevent you from changing lanes even when you have signalled your intent well in advance?Why do people use the slow lanes to pass at incredibly high speeds and then cut off other cars by mere centimetres as they swoop back to the fast lane? Why, when driving in the middle lane at a 110kph, are you tailgated closely by an irritated, impatient driver who wants to pass you at speeds of 150kph or more?

Then he comes up with an answer suggesting that the peculiar and disturbing driving habits of some Malaysians have to do with "face". By cutting in front of someone at high speed or quickly closing a gap to deny a lane change, you have somehow outdone that person and gained "face", what the Chinese would call MIANZI, an enhanced social image. DRIVING WITH AUTHORITY TRANSLATES INTO POWER AND PRESTIGE.

He says it is somewhat similar to what young Westerners call "attitude". "He’s got attitude," they will say, meaning he is so confident that he will do whatever suits him without a single thought to what anyone else might think about it. But the concept of "gaining face" by disregarding one’s personal safety, as well as that of others, if there is any merit at all in this theory, is strange to most of us, young and old alike.

He adds it would be hypocritical to suggest that inconsiderate driving doesn’t occur elsewhere. Of course, it does. Lane changes are not much easier in many big North American or European cities than they are in Malaysia. Drivers are not necessarily more courteous when traffic is merging, but what’s so alarming in Malaysia is the high degree of genuinely unnecessary risk-taking.

In Brunei, either conscious or not, resembles a quite similar attitude he mentioned in his article. The "mianzi" attitude has taken root in our society and If we don't change our mindset (are we too late now?), more "bloodbath" is sure to happen. A word of condolence to the family of the deceased (he lives in Kg Perpindahan Telisai, aged 23 and works as a security personnel). According to his close relatives, he was on his way home from work in KB when he met with an accident. AL-FATIHAH