Psst! is there a weapon in your car ?
By Arman Ahmad
KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 19:
Just in case.
A growing number of Malaysian motorists are carrying a variety of weapons
in their vehicles in case they come face-to-face with a road bully.
Steel rods, golf clubs, baseball bats, hockey sticks, parangs, a variety of
formidable-looking steering locks and even samurai swords have become
trusted companions of the Malaysian motorist.
All those interviewed by the New Sunday Times said the "weapons'' were for
self-defence only. They also believed that there was a good possibility of
them getting embroiled in a road rage situation.
In the last few months, three motorists have been murdered after a
misunderstanding on the road. On Jan 25, engineering assistant Muhammad
Nazri Ismail was bludgeoned to death with a steering lock after being
involved in a minor accident.
On Feb 24, Malaysia Airlines engineer Lau Kok Seng was slashed to death at
the Seremban-Kuala Lumpur highway, near the Desa Petaling exit, after a
tail-gating incident.
Last week, petrol kiosk owner Azman Abdul Karim was stoned to death by a
gang of motorcyclists after an incident in Jelapang.
Events manager Junaidah Ishak, 34, carries a golf club in her car though
she has never played a round of golf in her life.
"My uncle gave it to me", she said, adding that it gives her a sense of
security. The golf club is kept behind the passenger seat of her Perodua
Kembara.
She has a reason to be wary. She recalled an incident in which she was
nearly attacked by a group of motorcyclists.
"They were racing and I just honked at them. All of a sudden, they
surrounded me." They tailed her for a while. This growing aggression among
road users has seen many drivers joining the "arms race". "Almost everyone
carries something in his car for protection, some of my friends carry
baseball bats, knives — even parangs", said businessman Wan Kamarul Wan
Ismail, 37.
He attributed this to the attitude of drivers in Kuala Lumpur who easily
get hot under the collar even for the most minor of traffic disputes.
"Especially in the morning, people will give you the middle finger over
small matters," he said.
"And it doesn't end there. Some of them will tail you after that." Waneeta
Shah, 33, had one troubling experience. A motorist unhappy that she took
too long to fish out money to pay the toll charge overtook her car and
forced it to stop.
"He got out and started banging on the window," she said. He only left when
other motorists honked at him.
"I went to Toys R' Us and bought a baseball bat after that", she said.
Many of the objects carried have dual purposes. Technician Fadly Syam
carries a 20-inch steel rod in the trunk of his car.
"I use it as a lever to loosen the wheel nuts in case I have to change the
tyres. However, I'm not afraid to use it to defend myself," he said. People
carry these objects because often, they read about road rage in the news
and hear about it from friends and relatives.
Police say that it is legal to carry steering locks. Deputy
Inspector-General of Police Datuk Musa Hassan said that there was no law
which prohibited motorists from carrying objects which could be used as
weapons.
However he warned: "Anything can be used as a weapon, even helmets and
hockey sticks. But we advise anybody from getting violent. If you do cause
harm, we will take action.''
URL: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Frontpage/20050320080029/Article/indexb_html
By Arman Ahmad
KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 19:
Just in case.
A growing number of Malaysian motorists are carrying a variety of weapons
in their vehicles in case they come face-to-face with a road bully.
Steel rods, golf clubs, baseball bats, hockey sticks, parangs, a variety of
formidable-looking steering locks and even samurai swords have become
trusted companions of the Malaysian motorist.
All those interviewed by the New Sunday Times said the "weapons'' were for
self-defence only. They also believed that there was a good possibility of
them getting embroiled in a road rage situation.
In the last few months, three motorists have been murdered after a
misunderstanding on the road. On Jan 25, engineering assistant Muhammad
Nazri Ismail was bludgeoned to death with a steering lock after being
involved in a minor accident.
On Feb 24, Malaysia Airlines engineer Lau Kok Seng was slashed to death at
the Seremban-Kuala Lumpur highway, near the Desa Petaling exit, after a
tail-gating incident.
Last week, petrol kiosk owner Azman Abdul Karim was stoned to death by a
gang of motorcyclists after an incident in Jelapang.
Events manager Junaidah Ishak, 34, carries a golf club in her car though
she has never played a round of golf in her life.
"My uncle gave it to me", she said, adding that it gives her a sense of
security. The golf club is kept behind the passenger seat of her Perodua
Kembara.
She has a reason to be wary. She recalled an incident in which she was
nearly attacked by a group of motorcyclists.
"They were racing and I just honked at them. All of a sudden, they
surrounded me." They tailed her for a while. This growing aggression among
road users has seen many drivers joining the "arms race". "Almost everyone
carries something in his car for protection, some of my friends carry
baseball bats, knives — even parangs", said businessman Wan Kamarul Wan
Ismail, 37.
He attributed this to the attitude of drivers in Kuala Lumpur who easily
get hot under the collar even for the most minor of traffic disputes.
"Especially in the morning, people will give you the middle finger over
small matters," he said.
"And it doesn't end there. Some of them will tail you after that." Waneeta
Shah, 33, had one troubling experience. A motorist unhappy that she took
too long to fish out money to pay the toll charge overtook her car and
forced it to stop.
"He got out and started banging on the window," she said. He only left when
other motorists honked at him.
"I went to Toys R' Us and bought a baseball bat after that", she said.
Many of the objects carried have dual purposes. Technician Fadly Syam
carries a 20-inch steel rod in the trunk of his car.
"I use it as a lever to loosen the wheel nuts in case I have to change the
tyres. However, I'm not afraid to use it to defend myself," he said. People
carry these objects because often, they read about road rage in the news
and hear about it from friends and relatives.
Police say that it is legal to carry steering locks. Deputy
Inspector-General of Police Datuk Musa Hassan said that there was no law
which prohibited motorists from carrying objects which could be used as
weapons.
However he warned: "Anything can be used as a weapon, even helmets and
hockey sticks. But we advise anybody from getting violent. If you do cause
harm, we will take action.''
URL: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/Frontpage/20050320080029/Article/indexb_html
