Freeway Ethics

Do Malaysians even know about such a thing? I hardly think the Malaysian Road Safety Department stresses at all about these things to new drivers. What are the few things that a driver needs to know before he/she gets on the Freeway? Some of the stuff I�m sharing is common sense and it doesn�t need any form of practice or lessons to master.

First and foremost, someone who is driving on the freeway needs to know that he/she is going to be sharing the road with so many other motorists so please be courteous and a good neighbor. The roads don�t belong to you and you can never have a mind-set that says �I pay toll and road-tax too, so I deserve to drive anywhere I want� which is unfortunate to say, the mind-set of most Malaysian drivers.

Sticking to the speed limit doesn�t mean you should be on the extreme right lane. There is misunderstanding among Malaysian motorist concerning �The Right Lane�. It is not for those who are driving fast, nor for those who are driving to the maximum speed limit, nor is it just another lane on the freeway. The extreme right lane is only to be used when you need to go pass another vehicle. It is not only rude to hog the right lane but down right unsafe. There are many motorist who think the right lane is just another lane on the freeway and it is their god given right to be driving on it. Only when disaster strikes will people like this learn. So many pile ups and other accidents happen on the freeway because of unethical motorist hogging the right lane.

Another common thing among Malaysian motorists is that we blare on our horns or �flash� each other when we want to get them to move. Did you know that these acts are illegal on the Autobahn? We can�t really blame Malaysians, because everyone does it! It is actually considered rude and unsafe to flash (the act of flicking your high beam at the vehicle in front) reason being is you�re actually scarring the driver in front of you. You only should use your flash to indicate to a vehicle that�s veering in and out of its lane or to signal something to another vehicle. When you come up behind a slower car, just turn on your indicator to the right; signaling that you are faster and want to go pass. I�ve driven on the Malaysian highways too and I do realize that far often people are just so dense that don�t realize you�re behind them. I don�t know if it is ignorance or arrogance but it is definitely stupidity. The best advice I can give is, be patient; getting somewhere a minute or two late is always better than never reaching your destination.

Finally, always turn on your indicator to signal when you change lanes, whether you�re driving at 40kmh or 140kmh. Hit the indicator and only then look at your mirrors to see if your path is clear and if there are no other vehicles approaching you. Remember, that if you�re driving at 40kmh and you just change lanes without indication, another vehicle traveling at 140kmh can be up on your behind in the brink of seconds and that spells disaster! So always signal before you change lanes, don�t flash the car in front of you and please don�t treat the extreme right lane like it�s your living room.

Drive safe!