Bad Malaysian Drivers, me included

It's only Tuesday but I felt apt to do an entry on my blog about something that I happened to think about this morning and coincidentally read about as well in an article in Malaysian Insider (How to greet pedestrian by Colin Boyd Safer). It is none other than about driving ethics in Malaysia. The article spoke about the dangers drivers posed to pedestrians and I definitely agree. Malaysians are bad drivers, especially so in KL.

How could a person be this very well-mannared individual off the road but when he/she gets into the car, he/she has a totally different temperament! It is particularly common in the big cities in Malaysia. I have to admit I am one of those guilty. But I definitely have compassion for pedestrians, especially children. I will defintely slow down to let a person cross the street, provided it is safe for him to do so. I have once, in my University's days, tried to cross a busy street. This kind driver stopped to let me cross but just as I rushed past his car, an on-coming car overtook him and nearly knocked me dead! From then on, I am very careful when to stop and let a pedestrian cross. I do not want my act of kindness to turn into a disaster for the person trying to cross a street. One thing I hate when I do stop to let a pedestrian cross the street, instead of walking briskly as I would expect, this person walks slowly as if afraid to lose his/her composure/style. Sorry to say this, your grandfather does not own this street and when you 'mati katak', there will be no style at all!

I am especially worried when I see young school kids walking by the roadside or crossing the streets by themselves when I send/fetch my son to/from school. Kids are kids, they are playful and sometimes, their concentration span is short. Walking/crossing the streets by themselves is just too dangerous. Parents, kids under 12 should not be allowed to cross the streets without the help of an adult!!

As I said earlier, I am guilty of being a bad driver. Not for having bad driving skills, but for having lack of patience. I have to confess, I am guilty of cutting queues whenever there is a traffic jam. I just cannot sit patiently and see others cut queue while I wait in line. And for that I really admire those who can wait in line. I will always cut in and out to find the fastest lane, or even drive on the road shoulders or ermergency lanes. I will never cut queue in other circumstances but in the car, it's like I am a different person. I do not know if I can change or am willing to change. I am challenged every day when coming to work. I will try to be patient and wait in line, maybe, someday.

On a entirely different matter, I just got my new 55-200 Nikkor lens last night. So I will be testing it out soon and also bringing it along to my vacation in Cherating next month with the girls. Will upload pictures soon.