Driving in Malaysia is not for the faint hearted. Practically everybody in Kuala Lumpur has a car, so very few people walk, cycle or ride public transport. The expats who work here always get incredulous stares when we suggest a stroll to the nearest mall, or offer to walk home after an evening with friends. As a consequence the roads are absolutely packed. Combine that with a road system that looks like a cross between a plate of spaghetti and the race circuit at LeMans and you have a driving nightmare. Even the locals here will admit that 
drivers in KL are notoriously aggressive.
Cars don’t drive in lanes towards a common destination; they hurtle towards each other, changing lanes and directions seemingly on a whim, with no forethought that there might be other traffic in the lane they have just decide to move into. And the speed! I am a fairly fast driver, as my many tickets and family anecdotes will attest, but to travel at 170 klics through heavy traffic is not fast driving, it is recklessness!
I was chatting to a colleague who rented a car to take some visitors to the east coast for the weekend, asking him how he liked seeing the highlands of Malaysia, and if he enjoyed the drive. “Not at all,” he replied, “we were scared out of our minds.” He recounted a horrific accident they had seen on the way; several cars completely demolished and little chance that anyone survived. He noted that the road was completely free and dry for miles in both directions, yet somehow these drivers had managed to hit each and several others. We shared ideas on the causes of this cultural phenomenon.
He suggested that it was a function of their culture and religion. The screws are turned pretty tight in this Muslim country with not much room for individual expression or freedom. All Malays are Muslim by legal fiat on the day of their birth and the only practical way to leave their faith is to leave the country. Their faith allows them few diversions or escapes, so he saw their excessive and erratic behavior on the road as a kind of “acting out” that their religion does not allow through alcohol, dance or nightclubbing. Another teacher thought they used their faith as a kind of ‘magic talisman’ to keep them from personal injury, and so felt immune to consequences as long as their karma was intact. He also suggested that the recent acquisition of wealth in a country that was not used to being able to afford a car might have something to do with it. Western countries that have had motor vehicles for a hundred years treat them as less of a novelty and more of a responsibility.
Another colleague suggested that it was the frustration of having to drive on such congested streets all the time that led drivers to go flat out the moment they saw a bare stretch of road. Another colleague thought it was the lack of driver education in a country where a 500 ringgit bribe could get you a driving license with no questions asked. Still another thought it had to do with a sense of community responsibility. In a culture where family is sacrosanct, those outside the family have little value. He thought this might translate into homicidal behavior behind the wheel.
This last one does not explain why parents are often seen hurtling down the road at breakneck speeds with their child standing in their lap with their tiny hands on the steering wheel. Perhaps it has to do with the inability to predict outcomes, something I see all the time. A man will stop his car on the side of the road and leave the traffic side door wide open. City planners will build three levels of flyover rather than plan out in advance how to manage the traffic at that intersection. Renovations are being conducted on our condo using the “trial and error” method. In a culture that has stressed rote learning and memorization from infancy, the cognitive skills involved in predicting outcomes of current behaviours are simply not taught or practiced. The fact that this shows up in their driving is not surprising. However, all of this cognitive speculation is of no avail if you are caught in a pack of semi-homicidal drivers all careening down the highway under the influence of their own personal demons without a thought for the consequences. Then it is simply terrifying!
November 21, 2011 at 12:39 pm
Whoa!!! We experienced this in Manila where there are thousands of cars, thousands of jeepneys, thousands of taxis, thousands of buses in a city of 18-20 million people!!!! (then add scooters to that) I had to close my eyes many a time when Eric was driving us through the city!!!! Eric was pretty aggressive too- “had” to be to keep his place or take his turn in merging traffic that wouldn’t give way!!!
Sounds like Malaysia may be even worse. We only saw 2 accidents – one was a jeepney and a taxi (you know who was at fault!!!) The other was a large dump truck in the median – probably forced there by traffic.
Now when someone cuts me off I suggest that he must be Filipino!!!!!
Now I know why you took so long to get a car!!!!
E
November 23, 2011 at 12:33 pm
Certainly keeps you on your toes, doesn’t it!
November 25, 2011 at 5:05 pm
I dunno what you’re complaining about, driving in Bali was the most fun I’ve ever had behind the wheel. I finally got to drive as recklessly as I’ve always wanted to without having to worry about being pulled over 😛
November 26, 2011 at 3:55 pm
Hi Mr Wise I’m Marylyn from your period 3 class 🙂
I just want to clarify that things like this don’t happen in all parts of Malaysia. I came from Sabah, the East part of Malaysia and I can tell you that the drivers back there are totally different from those drivers here in KL. So far in my life, I had experience bad driving once and it was by a taxi driver who drove us around here in KL. He literally made his own rules – he simply took a U-turn, drove on the opposite direction of the road and overtake cars as if he’s a rally driver plus he drove really really fast. Although I don’t usually take cabs back in my hometown, it’s very rare to catch cab drivers or any type of drivers that drive like that. Then again, our traffic jams are not as massive as the jam here so probably the drivers in my hometown are more calm and patient. I won’t deny the fact that there are a lot of drunk drivers on the road either, especially during festive seasons. Normally the accident rate will increase during that period. However it really depends on which part of Malaysia you are in I guess. Sabahan drivers are not that bad 🙂
November 28, 2011 at 9:47 am
Marylyn, thank you so much for your comments. I have noticed that students from the island seemed to be less stressed out than students from the mainland, so I would think that would apply to the drivers as well. We haven’t seen much of the island yet ourselves, and having a car won’t help us either! But my wife is planning a trip to Kota Kinabalu in December and she is looking forward to seeing some parts of Malaysia that we haven’t yet. We did love driving to Cameron Highlands, but the traffic in Brinchang on a holiday weekend was not what I would call fun!
April 20, 2012 at 2:49 pm
Considering this is a lawless place (we have laws but they were not enforced hence practically is lawless) as 99 percent of the time , those who break rules are not caught/reprimanded , then it takes only a minority , let’s say 10percent who habitually run red light , jump queue and driving on emergency lane; and another 20 to 30 percent kiasu drivers to follow suit . This is the reason for the mayhem on Malaysian road . Actually , come to think of it , for a lawless place , it’s amazing that things are not worse!
April 21, 2012 at 10:10 am
Agreed. And just for the record, I am constantly amazed at how patient and courteous Malaysian drivers are under such adverse conditions. I had to chuckle yesterday as I walked past a car whose driver had simply come to a stop in the middle of turning left. As I walked past, he was texting someone. He hadn’t pulled over, he hadn’t signaled. He had just stopped. Behind him were ten cars waiting patiently to turn left. Not one of them was honking.
In Canada there would be a chorus of horns. In the States, he’d probably get shot. But in Malaysian he sat in blissful ignorance. You have to admire that kind of forbearance!