Violation of Traffic
Laws
O you who have believed, do not consume one
another's wealth unjustly but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent. And
do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.
[4:29] Road accidents are very
common in big cities as there are many modes of transport and road are narrow
and overcrowded. We hear of them and read about them in newspapers almost
daily. Such accidents often result in loss of life and material. These are
caused by the carelessness of the drivers and their ignorance and negligence of
the traffic rules. Road accident is
a global tragedy with ever-raising trend. In Malaysia, it represents a major
public problem because of the high number of victims involved and also the
seriousness of the consequences for the victim themselves and to their families
as well. Accidents are generally classified as single vehicle accidents in
which the vehicle is either colliding with fixed objects or with pedestrians or
the vehicle may fall in a ditch and multiple vehicle accidents in which two or
more than two vehicle can either collide head–on, or one vehicle may collide
with the front vehicle at the back or may a have side-swipe type collision. The
increase of road accident is closely linked with the rapid growth of
population, economic development, industrialization and motorization
encountered by the country. It continues to be a growing concern to all those
who uses the roads.[1]
Traffic laws just as
everything and every institution require a set of rules, traffic also needs rules in order to
remain orderly and disciplined. The question that next arises in our minds is
that, what is the necessity of rules? It is necessary to have rules everywhere
in order to make the functioning smooth and efficient. If there were to be no
rules then, it would be a picture of total chaos and confusion. Rules regulate
the work and help it move along the desired path. Thus, in order to have a
smooth movement of traffic on the roads, the traffic rules are made by the
traffic police. These rules are meant to be followed to the last word by each
and every individual moving on the roads, and becoming a part of the traffic.
It is necessary to have rules for the road, but it is still more important for
all of us to follow the set of rules. Once an individual is on the road, it is
absolutely compulsory for him/her to follow the rules, and that also
explicitly. We have just got to follow rules because, without following them
there will be absolute chaos and confusion on the road, and no one will be able
to move about. This chaos would lead not only to delays in movements but would
also lead to struggles and even accidents. When, for example we are supposed to
cross the road from the zebra crossing, we must make sure that we do so, for,
if we cross from elsewhere, there is a chance that we meet with an accident. If
we jump a red light we are putting ourselves to danger and are inviting trouble
with the possibility of an accident. Thus, rules must be followed for
maintaining discipline on the roads, and above all for our own safety. It is in
our own interest that, when on the road, we follow the road traffic rules to
the last word. The rules are there to keep us safe, and following them is in
our own interest. When we break the rules we are inviting trouble to ourselves
and doing no harm to anyone else.[2]
One of the most important factors about the traffic
accidents is violation of the rules which can be with exceeding speed limit,
using alcohol or driving while driver is sleepless. Exceeding speed limit
causes great accidents because with this exceeding driver loses the control of
his driving and then occur accidents which even result in deaths. Violation of
the rules can also be with using alcohol before driving. Although there strict
legal punishments about this issue, drivers keep using it. Unfortunately, this
also causes traffic accidents because, after getting alcohol, driver cannot pay
attention to the road. The other factor is the sleepless drivers. They like the
others, cannot pay attention to the road and they even fall asleep while they
are driving. A lot of people
break traffic rules because they are selfish. They don't want to have to stop
and wait at a red light, or they speed to get to their destination faster so it
doesn't take too long. They believe the rules do not have to apply to them, but
should apply to everyone else. Lots
of people break rules when they are running; and take short cuts to make their
drive go faster. Most
people break traffic rules and laws because they can get away with it. For an example, it is illegal to park in a designated
handicap parking space unless you have and display the proper credentials (i.e.
handicap license plate or tag that hangs from the mirror). These spaces are
required by Federal Law for the store owner to provide a proportionate number
of the spaces in the parking lot. Under law, usually the State ones, provides
for the punishment for a violation of this law, so it will vary from State to
State. However, being semi
public/private property the likelihood of a policeman sitting there just
waiting for someone to violate the law, really is not likely to happen. There
was one time I did see an impound truck loading a shopper's auto for illegally
parking in a handicap space. Apparently, the store had gotten way to many
complaints about the violation of the law. Even the violators refused to move
their cars when the manager of the store asked them to abide by the law.[3]
And
spend in the way of Allah and do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands
into destruction [by refraining]. And do good; indeed, Allah loves the doers of
good. [2: 195]
There are many ways to prevent from people
violating traffic rules by traffic signs identification and their meanings plus
the road sense should have been developed in us as part of the school training. Unfortunately serious
attention is not given to this particular area. Special awareness programs
should be developed for the rural areas in order to educate the people to minimize the life loss and accidents ratio due
to ignoring of traffic rules. The licensing
authorities take a brief test from the candidates and they are on the road. There is
not penalty points system valid in Malaysia, people are booked on
traffic violations, they pay fines and they are good to drive. There should be serious penalties
like suspension of license and cancellation of license in case of dangerous
violations. Road fitness certificates should be issued twice a year to monitor the state of the cars to decide
whether these should be allowed to be on roads or not. We
must learn to respect people in order to earn respect for us. It is always good
to live your life by the laws of the state and by the laws of our
wonderful Religion Islam. We need to have tolerance, patience and love for
the fellow human beings to go for a peaceful co-existence. We seem to be busy
in a rat race of having more than the people around us, the lust for
wealth is taken us to nowhere except the road to destruction.[4]
Until
this day, there are a lot of stories that related to accidents problems in the
society. This first
story is four people were killed in a tragic
accident involving three vehicles at Jalan Sultan Mizan near Taman Semarak Gong
Badak here Wednesday. In the 6.30pm accident, Nor Azni Mat Jusoh, 41, from
Felda Mengkawang Ajil, Zaini Abdul Razak, 43, from Ayer Keroh, Malacca, Mohd
Faris Mohd Shaimi, 26, and Mohd Rizal Ibrahim, 30, from Kedah died at the
scene. According to Kuala Terengganu Fire and Rescue Department Operations
Chief Abdullah Zawawi Mohamad, a Honda City car driven by Mohd Faris and his
friend Mohd Rizal and heading to Kuala Terengganu from Gong Badak, went out of
control and airborne before landing on a Perodua Kancil car coming from the
opposite direction. "The impact of the Honda City that landed on the
Perodua Kancil crushed the driver Nor Azni and his friend Zaini to
death."A Proton Pesona car that was trailing the Perodua Kancil car was
also involved in the accident but the driver, a lady, was not injured," he
told reporters at the scene here Wednesday. Nor Azni, Zaini and Mohd Faris were
pinned to their seats while Mohd Rizal was thrown out of the vehicle.
Meanwhile, the driver of the Proton Persona, Noriani Mohammad, 35, said she was
on her way to Wakaf Tengah from Kuala Terengganu when the accident happened.
"Upon reaching the place, I saw a speeding Honda car going out of control
and go airborne before landing on the Perodua Kancil that was in front of my
car. I saw a man from the Honda car thrust into the air as well," she
said. The bodies of the dead were later sent to the Sultanah Nur Zahirah
Hospital. [5]
The second story was happened in Kuantan. Six
members of a family died when the Proton Iswara car they were travelling in
collided with a trailer at KM78 along a road near Pekan. Pekan Deputy OCPD, DSP
Amran Sidek said those who died in the tragedy were the car driver, Norfaizah
Mansor, 31, her four children Norsyahira Atika Saudi, 13, Norsufia Saudi, 10,
Norsuhaila Saudi, seven, and Mohd Shahrul Amir Saudi, three, as well as
Norfaizah’s younger brother, Mohd Saiful Anwar Mansor, 14. Amran said all the
victims were returning home to Pekan after visiting Norfaizah’s parents in
Keratong 2, Rompin when the accident happened. “Upon reaching the scene of the
accident near Kampung Runchang, the Proton Iswara, which was coming from the
direction of Segamat, tried to overtake the vehicle in front but failed and
collided with a trailer coming from the opposite direction,” he told reporters,
here today. Amran said both vehicles failed to avoid a collision, resulting in
the Proton Iswara ending up under the trailer. He said all the victims died on
the spot due to serious injuries on the head and chest while the 44-year-old trailer
driver and his wife, 43, suffered minor leg injuries. He said the case was
being investigated under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act. Meanwhile,
Norfaizah’s father, Mansor Hamid, 55, said he did not expect that his
children’s and grandchildren’s visit would end up in such tragedy. “Normally,
the youngest grandchild would not follow the mother back to Pekan, but this
time, everyone wanted to go back,” said Mansor who came to know of the tragedy
at 11pm and immediately rushed to the scene. Norfaizah’s mother, Arfah Sulung,
54, said her daughter came home with her younger brother and children because
she wanted to meet her husband, who works in Bukit Ibam, Muadzam Shah. “My
son-in-law had planned to take my daughter and their children to Melaka on a
vacation during the school holidays,” she said. [6]
One of the international scholars is David
"Dave" Barry (born July
3, 1947) is a Pulitzer Prize winning American author and columnist, who wrote a nationally syndicated humour column for The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. The best quote I picked is “The one thing
that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic
status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we
are above average drivers”. ~Dave Barry, Secondly the next scholar is "Our
research suggests that the legalization of medical marijuana reduces traffic
fatalities through reducing alcohol consumption by young adults," said
Daniel Rees, professor of economics at the University of Colorado Denver who
co-authored the study with D. Mark Anderson, assistant professor of economics
at Montana State University. The researchers collected data from a variety of
sources including the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the Behavioural
Risk Factor Surveillance System, and the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
The study is the first to examine the relationship between the legalization of
medical marijuana and traffic deaths. "We were astounded by how little is
known about the effects of legalizing medical marijuana," Rees said.
"We looked into traffic fatalities because there is good data, and the
data allow us to test whether alcohol was a factor." Anderson noted that
traffic deaths are significant from a policy standpoint.[7]
One of famous Indonesia Islamic Scholar,
Prof Dr Haji Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah aka Prof Dr Hamka during the World
Muslim Forum at Jakarta has said that, Allah S.W.T has granted us a life, so,
why don’t we use that chance by doing something that pleasure Allah S.W.T as
our creator. He added, nowadays, lots of car accident had caused lot of death
among of mankind and this thing actually can be prevented if we have high
awareness about how harmful the car accident it is. Besides Prof Dr Hamka, Dr Asri Zainul Abidin
(Malaysian Famous Islam Missionary) also said that, lots of Malaysian died due
to road accidents. He added, as a Muslim, we are forbid to do something that
might harm ourselves such as speeding while driving or doing something that
might cause dangerous to others. He gives example that, one way to avoid accident
is do not driving at the slippery road because it is dangerous and doing so
might be caused trouble to others people. Shaheed
Hukmi (accidental death) is the one dies from natural disasters, or drowned,
squashed by something, burnt. (Muatta Imam Malik), a person who dies in a
plague, a woman who passes away due to child birth, a person who passes away in
a motor car accident, etc. Diseases e.g- One who dies of cancer of the internal
organs, a person who passes away due to an illness of the stomach,etc. Insha
Allah, they'll be counted from amongst the Shaheed.
The burial Ahkam(ruling )for ShaheedHukmi:
This second type of Shaheed will be treated like
a normal deceased person. He/she will be given Ghusl and be clothed in the
Sunnat Kafan after which the Janaza Salaat will be performed. [8]
In my opinion, people must have patience
and obey all the laws of traffic because it may not only make you safe but also
to everyone. Meaning to say, they will have difficulties to do their daily
work. As a good person we can avoid from accidents if we are keep our heads up
and alert to minimize the danger. O
you who have believed, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is
with the patient. [2:153]
As conclusion, road
traffic crashes occur on all continents, in every country of the world. Every
year they take the lives of more than a million people and incapacitate many
millions more. Pedestrians, users of non-motorized vehicles – including
bicycles, rickshaws and carts – and motorcyclists in low-income and
middle-income countries carry a large proportion of the global burden of road
traffic death and serious injury. The elderly, children and the disabled are
particularly vulnerable. Despite the growing burden of road traffic injuries,
road safety has received insufficient attention at both the international and
national levels. The reasons include lack of general awareness and specific
information on the scale of the problem, on the health, social and economic
costs of road traffic crashes, and on the interventions that can prevent crashes
or reduce the harm they cause. This report attempts to contribute to the body
of knowledge on road safety. It is hoped that it will inspire and
facilitate increased cooperation, innovation and commitment to preventing road
traffic crashes around the world. Road traffic crashes are predictable and
therefore preventable. In order to combat the problem, though, there needs to
be close coordination and collaboration, using a holistic and integrated
approach, across many sectors and many disciplines. While there are many interventions
that can save lives and limbs, political will and commitment are essential and
without them little can be achieved. The time to act is now. Road users
everywhere deserve better and safer road travel. [9]
In
the present paper the effects of traffic
rules on
driver behaviour and on traffic safety
are discussed. The discussion is mainly based on research concerning driver’s
use of safety equipment, their speed adjustment and drunken driving with
respect to safety potential, effects of the rules,
and effects of enforcement on driver behaviour. Factors influencing drivers’
decisions to comply with rules are
also considered. It is concluded that only rules that
are possible to enforce should be implemented and that police surveillance
should be visible to the drivers. Also, the traffic system
should be seen as a social system where drivers are interacting with other
drivers and road users. Rules and
regulations are important to help the actors of the system to function in a
safe and effective way. While Islam
demands the safety of the individual’s own life, but you have to love at people
like you love yourself. Loving is
caring. So, in our caring, we will make love one another maybe as a friend just
like Muhammad S.A.W with Abu Bakar, Umar, Othman, and Ali. The strong
relationship will give the best ummah in the world. Before ending this article,
I would like to remind all people to always be alert on the safety of the road
and follow the regulations that had been made by our government. It is hoped that
the knowledge provide in this article will help to prevent further tragedies of
this kind from occurring. [10] Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even
if you should be within towers of lofty construction. But if good comes to
them, they say, "This is from Allah "; and if evil befalls them, they
say, "This is from you." Say, "All [things] are from Allah
." So what is [the matter] with those people that they can hardly
understand any statement? [4:78]
[1] Hearing on Traffic Safety, Subcommittee on Traffic Safety of the
Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, page 421, year 84th
congress 2000
[2] Mr Farland, Ross A, Human Variables in Motor Vehicle Accidents,
Boston, Mass: Harvard School of Public Health 1998, page 211, year 1989
[3] Factors of accidents, J.A.M.A, 169, 11:1195-1208 (Mar.) 1976
[4] Symposium
on traffic laws of Motor Vehicle Accident Preventation. New York J. Med. 56,
24:3853-3882 1985
[8] Prof Dr Hamka, 1001 questions about life, page 230, year 1922
[9] Jack A. Regan, John D. Lee, and Kristie L. Young, Violation of
Traffic Rules, CAC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 629, 2009.
[10] Jack A. Regan, John D. Lee, and Kristie L. Young, Violation of
Traffic Rules, CAC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 629, 2009.
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