Here is what you need to know about road accidents in Malaysia.
We can see many news about people involved in road accidents every day when we read the newspaper. Road accidents in Malaysia are very common nowadays. A road accident refers to any accident includes at least one road vehicle which occurs on a road that is open to public areas and is injured or killed by at least one person. As we know, Malaysia is one of the countries that has more holiday. This is because, as it is populated by many ethnicity and religions, Malaysia is a multirace country.
The government gives equal freedom to all the race because of many religions to celebrate their own festival, which ends up giving the people a lot of holidays. During the festival eve, many Malaysians will go back to their hometown and some will travel very far. In Malaysia, compared to normal other days, road accidents will occur more often during the holidays.
For a variety of reasons, road accidents arise. Drivers are often distracted behind the wheel, taking their attention away from the road. Drivers can get exhausted after spending several hours at the wheel in other situations, resulting in avoidable errors. Occasionally, for a combination of reasons, accidents occur, from poor visibility to dangerous road design, or other drivers are lacking caution. Though accident causes can vary, the effects are often the same, resulting in everything from damage to vehicles and properties to serious injuries. Some of the reasons of road accidents for vehicles are listed below.
Distracted Driving
The most common cause of road accidents in Malaysia is distracted driving, resulting in more crashes each year than speed, drunk driving and other major causes of accidents. For a variety of reasons, drivers can become distracted behind the wheel. Some of the leading causes of distracted driving injuries include the use of a cell phone while driving, eating food and drinking behind the wheel. How dangerous is it when distracted by a cell phone to take your eyes off the road? The answer to this question is “very” as it happens, and it’s a problem that doesn’t seem to have a clear solution, particularly among young drivers. Distracted driving has always been a major cause of car accidents even before the rise of modern telecommunications. Distractions that can affect safe driving are usually divided into three main categories which are visual distractions, manual distractions and cognitive distractions.
Visual distractions that can cause drivers for whatever reason to take their eyes off the road. Whether it’s turning your head to reach something at the back of the seat or checking the mobile phone while driving, takes a second of confusion to cause an accident. Manual distractions which lead drivers to take off the steering wheel with their hands. Examples of manual distractions are adjusting the radio, getting your bottle from the back seat or searching for a key from the dashbox. When a driver is no longer focused on the primary driving task, cognitive distractions can occur. This may result from sleepiness, worrying or thinking about something that is mentally and emotionally disturbing a person.
The consequences for drivers can be serious regardless of the cause of the distractions. Not only that distracted drivers decreased reaction times, but they also have less awareness of what’s around them, like traffic signs, other vehicles, and pedestrians. It is not surprised to learn that in recent years cell phone use has become a major contributing factor to distracted driving. Drivers have learned to rely on GPS navigation cell phones, appointment reminders, and communicate with friends and family while driving.
Use of Hands-Free Technology.
Although Bluetooth, voice-recognition technology and other technologies were promoted as a practical alternative to the use of cell phones in vehicles, research on driving simulators was not that supportive. Studies investigating driving behavior under various circumstances, such as driving alone, using a hands-free phone, or having conversations with passengers, showed that any distraction can influence driving behaviour. In reality, in-car interactions with passengers and the use of hands-free technology to make telephone calls both seem to affect the driver’s ability to keep his eyes on the road, merge into traffic, and brake when needed.
Nevertheless, manual cell phone use was still the biggest distractor and was the greatest danger to safe driving. So, what can this teach us in Malaysia, to reduce distracted driving? While the risks of using a cell phone in a car are well known to young Malaysian drivers. Furthermore, young drivers who manage to avoid major issues on the road despite engaging in this type of risky behavior may develop a false sense of safety that may make them less responsive to cell phone usage warnings. It is impossible to drive safely without the driver’s full attention being paid to the driving task. Every non-driving event involved is a possible threat and increases the risk of crashing.
What are you supposed to do if you get into a car accident?
It can be a terrifying experience to get into a road accident. Although most people are familiar with the proper ways to prevent an accident, not all knows what to do right after one. It can also be hard to know what actions to take to pay your car for repairs so you can put the accident behind you. Stay on the scene of the accident first and foremost, even if the accident is minor. You might get in trouble if you leave without informing the other party or without speaking to the authorities.
It is considered a crime to leave the scene of an accident. If the accident is minor, you can move your vehicle off the road and stop it in a safe place. Put your car in a safe place and shut off the engine. Use emergency tools such as cones or flares when needed to warn potential accident drivers. Take a look for injuries. If you are not injured, and if neither is the other party injured, you should exchange insurance information.
Conclusion
A third party can file a claim for damages under your third party insurance for injury, death, property damage caused by your vehicle. The third party claim for damages will be made against you and your insurer. When an incident or mishap happens, it is important taht you inform Etiqa as soon as possible. With the best advice from the Etiqa Claims Care team, this will allow them to settle your case quickly.
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