NST Leader: Driving common sense

New Straits Times

18 hours ago

When the media reported the government ban on "dummy " seat belt buckles — devices designed to disable seat belt warning systems—the initial reaction was likely incredulity.
Perhaps the report should have focused on banning "dummy drivers", as that's what individuals who resort to not wearing seat belts have truly become.
Why this manoeuvre? For two inane reasons: to silence the "annoying " audible alert (triggered by placing heavy objects on the front seat) or to avoid wearing seat belts altogether because they are "irritating".
The first reason can be attributed to plain laziness —heavy objects can easily be placed in the back seat or the car boot —while the second is plain idiocy.
For good reason, seat belts have been mandatory since 1978, and have proved highly effective over the decades in reducing road fatalities and injuries.
One study, for instance, revealed that seat belts reduce fatalities by 50 per cent, curbing fatal injuries for drivers by 43 per cent — and even up to 67 per cent depending on crash severity.
Beyond preventing forcible ejection or non-injurious impact with the steering wheel or windshield, seat belts are crucial in preventing blunt force trauma, internal injuries, whiplash, and neck injuries.
Despite its effectiveness, some motorists, especially younger adults, fail to buckle up. Rear seat belts were introduced in the 1940s and Malaysia made them mandatory from Jan 1, 1995, with enforcement commencing in 2009.
Many rear-seat passengers, however, remain oblivious to or ignore this law. The recent ban on "dummy " seat belt buckles, applicable universally, also encompasses alarm deactivators, clip extenders and similar devices designed to bypass safety alerts when inserted into seat belt slots.
While the ban's enforcement should prioritise common sense, its very necessity and the prevalence of these devices expose a disturbing cavalier attitude among Malaysian drivers towards road safety.
The ban is undoubtedly justified, but convincing those who stubbornly flout such measures remains a formidable challenge. As of mid-2025, Malaysian roads continue to witness a tragic average of 14 fatalities daily.
During the recent Hari Raya Aidilfitri balik kampung period (March 29 to April 6), 123 deaths were recorded —although this marked a significant 29.3 per cent decline from the 174 deaths in 2024, which averaged 1,729 accidents per day and 14 deaths daily.
This begs the questions: how many more of those deaths and injuries could have been prevented if drivers and front-seat passengers had simply had the good sense to wear seat belts? Again, intellectually challenged motorists must be compelled towards a mindset shift that extends beyond enforcement, especially since the obscene highway fatalities demonstrate minimal deterrence.
Short of a total ban on highway driving, it's indeed exhausting to continuously reiterate essential safety measures that ought to be embraced and enforced.
Yet, we must persist because road safety has now been tragically devalued to mere gimmickry and pretension.