Drivers can be fined for using phones at traffic lights

Everyone knows that texting while driving is dangerous yet many Malaysians are still doing it. They cut unknowingly onto different lanes and they do make traffic jams worse for not paying attention. Not only it is stupid but it puts other road users at risk.

According to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, the usage of mobile phones has been identified as the main cause of road accidents in Malaysia. Malaysia has one of the highest number of road accidents in the world and the usage of mobile phones while driving has greatly contributed to this problem.

This is a serious problem and the police are not taking this lightly according to Federal traffic investigation and enforcement department director SAC Datuk Mahamad Akhir Darus. In an interview with theSun, motorist caught holding a mobile phone while driving will be issued summons and this includes usage while waiting at traffic lights or in traffic jams.

Unlike criminal cases where the police has to prove one’s guilt, this is a compounded summons where offenders have to prove otherwise to dispute their case. He added that a split second distraction on the road is all it takes to result in a crash as illustrated perfectly in the video above. According to TAC Australia, a 2-second distraction at 50KM/h is equivalent to traveling 27 metres blind.

Perhaps our traffic police might do something like this:

If you’re driving, your focus should be on the road at all times. That WhatsApp message can wait. For those who depend on Waze and Google Maps, please get a phone holder if you don’t have one in your car.

[ SOURCE ]