Road accident on emergency lane
The emergency lane has the word ’emergency’ in it for a reason – it’s a lane specially dedicated for emergency services and broken-down vehicles, not for regular motorists to misuse it to escape traffic. In fact, it is illegal to misuse emergency lanes in Malaysia. Offenders can be fined up to RM2,000 or be sentenced to jail for up to 6 months under the Road Transport Act 1987.
Making use of the emergency lane seem harmless when it looks clear, but accidents can happen in a split second, as shown by a recent one involving a car and a motorcycle that took place on the Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway.
Car knocking into motorcyclist caught on dashcam
The accident was caught on a dashcam video and uploaded on Twitter by netizen @Iamkanahraf on the evening of 31st August with the caption, “Can cars stop using the emergency lane (?)”. The video has garnered more than 199,000 views and 12,000 retweets at the time of writing.
Image credit: @Iamkanahraf
Viewer discretion is advised for the short clip, which we have included as a gif below, as it contains footage that may cause distress to some.
The dashcam footage showed a white Toyota Camry cutting into the emergency lane and overtaking the car with the dashcam. Almost immediately, the Camry knocked into a motorcycle coming from the back, causing the riders to lose their balance. One rider fell onto the grass while the other could be seen tumbling on the roadside. The Camry continued to speed off much to the dismay of netizens.
Netizens urge Malaysians to practice road etiquette
In the replies to the viral tweet, many netizens emphasised the importance of road etiquette. The concern extends beyond the misuse of emergency lanes as they also discussed a couple of factors – who is at fault and their shock over the alleged hit-and-run.
The driver has since been detained in Gombak, but the debate continues. Twitter user @MKY9906 commented that all vehicles, regardless of the type, should avoid using the emergency lane unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Image credit: @MKY9906
Meanwhile, @anas_cik presumably prompted the driver of the Camry to be more responsible as speeding away will only make the situation worse.
Image credit: @anas_cik
Another Twitter user @syedshafadilah reminded fellow netizens to be more aware of their surroundings and not enter the emergency lane as and when they wish.
Image credit: @syedshafadilah
Misuse of emergency lane poses great danger to other motorists
Not only does driving on the emergency lane without a valid reason a punishable offence, it can also endanger other motorists. Everyone wants to get to their destination quickly and nobody likes being stuck in heavy traffic, but it is only through being a civilised, responsible, and courteous driver that makes the road a safer place for us and all our loved ones.
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Cover image adapted from: CarSifu and @Iamkanahraf
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