PETALING JAYA: Having a driving licence is not an entitlement, but comes with heavy responsibilities, say road safety experts.
Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) chairman Prof Dr Wong Shaw Voon said that Malaysians drivers should be aware that their vehicles can become killing machines on the road if not operated correctly.
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He said that holding a licence does not necessarily mean that a person is competent in all driving situations.
“Obtaining a licence is not a right. It is a privilege.
“Even with a licence, it does not mean you are competent in every vehicle.
“If the environment or the type of car changes, you need to adjust as well,” he said when contacted.
On improvements to the driver training curriculum, Wong said that Miros conducts reviews periodically.
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“We have to balance the desired outcome with the costs that will inevitably arise from additional training time or expanded course content.
“We hope that over time, technology can help make improvements more affordable,” he said, adding that the use of technology could curb possible corrupt practices within the licensing system.
“We can only work to minimise such behaviour.
“Some people will try to take advantage of the system but technology can help reduce such instances,” he said.
Transport safety expert Prof Dr Law Teik Hua from Universiti Putra Malaysia said the driving curriculum focus heavily on technical manoeuvres rather than preparing learners for complex traffic situations.
“Learners are taught skills such as parallel parking, hill starts and reversing, but these alone are not enough to cope with real-world situations such as encountering speeding traffic or motorcyclists weaving in and out of traffic,” he said when contacted.
The curriculum, he added, should also focus on behavioural awareness and risk management.
“Instructors should help learners understand risk perception, defensive driving, night driving, driving in heavy rain and decision-making under pressure,” he said.
Common risk factors such as fatigue, mobile phone distractions, judging speed and emotional control behind the wheel should also be taught.
He suggested the use of technology as a means of improving drivers’ competency.
“Video-based case studies, driving simulators and AI-assisted feedback systems can help learners better understand dangerous situations before they encounter them on the road.”
Law noted that a recent announcement by the Road Transport Department (JPJ) focused largely on operational aspects of driving institutes, such as allowing multi-storey facilities and reducing land requirements.
“As such, there is still a need for a comprehensive review of the learning curriculum itself.”
He cited Sweden, Australia and the United Kingdom, where emphasis is given to hazard perception tests while also gradually exposing new drivers to challenging driving environments.
