Shocking Facts on Vehicle Safety (I): Seatbelts Part 1

1. Many people believe that in road traffic accident, speeding is the main factor of killing people, or simply can be put in a better statement, “speeding your vehicle will speed your life”.

2. That is not 100% true because in fact, it is NOT speed that kills, but actually is the SUDDENT STOP. Why? Let’s take an example.

3. A red car is driving 120km/h and then suddenly lost control and went to the side of road, and fortunately the side has a long wall. The car is hitting the wall (not head on), and dragging along the wall. After 50 meters, the car stopped and what do you think the luck of the driver?

4. Ok another example, might be some of you is lucky enough experience this or ever heard of the case. A blue car traveling along the highway at 120km/h and suddenly out of nowhere got hit from the back by an unknown vehicle. The blue car spun and went turtle, dragged on the road for about 60 meters. Assuming both drivers wear the seatbelt. What happen to the drivers?

5. The answer for both cases is they still alive because they told you the story! How could dead men tell you the story right? “Hmm bro, I think you are a little bit away from main point, what are you trying to say by giving those examples?” Be patient.

6. Now let’s look on a case where head on collision, a red car at the speed of 120km/h hit head on with a blue car at the speed of any (could be 50, 100, or 120). Bang! After the collision both are stopped, immediately less than a second. From the outside we could see the event like it’s just in a blink an eye. Suddenly the occupants in blood and the cars wrecked like hell.

7. Let’s see this video from Youtube on the movement of the occupants in a slow motion.

8. From the video above, in a split second we could see that the man that not wearing rear seatbelt hitting hard all other occupants who wear the seatbelts and this happen very fast and only in milliseconds. When the rescuer or public people come to see, the position of the occupants is just like before the impact.

9. The flying unbelted man is coming back to his seat like nothing is happening, and "looks very cute where he lean on her gf shoulder". What they didn’t know is during those micro seconds, everything is happening.

10. They might asked, “How this women bloody injured? She sat on her seat and belted too, doesn’t make any sense she could be injured like that”. How? Why? What? All those are commonly asked; even the investigation police officer has pain in the ass to figure things out.

11. Those people didn’t know, but now you know it and you should start now to wear the seatbelt. Even only one person inside the vehicle do not wear the seatbelt, she/he could become hazardous to your safety.

12. Thus, your responsibility is not only to wear the seatbelt but to remind occupants in the car to wear it too.

13. All the drivers should bear the responsible for this. Please read My Rear Seatbelt Post on how other occupants could kill you during the crash. Before starting any journey, especially long distance journey, please ensure that all the occupants inside the vehicle is belted.

14. You might be thinking, I am a safe driver, possibilities for me to involve in accident is very low. You are wrong! Anything could be happening on roads, you know, they are lots of idiots out there. Prevention is better than cure, as I could say.

Don't you agree? Feel free to add and comments..

When the Road is Badly Made

1. Last week I got this email and found it quite interesting fact about our new upgraded PLUS highway. To be truth, I experienced the uncomfortable feeling too, driving at stated upgraded highway and when I checked our crash database, for some reason many fatal accidents occured along this stretch (approximately Rawang - Tapah) after the new 3-lane-highway opened up. Here is the email I got, I think its quite good to share.

I am a frequent user of our North-South Expressway and I have this IMPORTANT experience to highlight and share:-

I was driving back to Penang yesterday afternoon (24 June 08) when I saw the unfortunate accident in the opposite direction involving the passenger bus that skidded and overturned at Tanjung Malim. I didn't know that the skidded bus was from hometown Penang untill I watched TV3 news later in the evening and was shocked to learn that the accident took two lives.

Now, this is what I need to share:-

I am a building contractor with over twenty years of experience and I have been driving my 5 series BMW (latest generation and a dammed solid road holding car) each time
I travelled to KL. Lately, the new extended 3 lanes highway had been opened up for use and since then, I have also been using it quite oftenly.

HOWEVER, when I used it each time it is WET, I can really 'feel' that the new road surface is extremely SLIPPERY! To share with some of you, my car comes with a built-in traction control mechanism (skidding prevention mechanism) and you can feel it each time it is activated. Previously, I don't come across this kind of slippery feel except when I drive over a paddle of water at certain speed.

From my observation as a building contractor, the 'wearing course' of the new road surface could be TOO FINE OR TOO SMOOTH and TOTALLY UNSUITABLE for highway use!
The wearing course (top premix layer) mix design for highways should be of minimum 20mm coarse aggregate mix that will give us the required bond between the surface and our tyres. Fine wearing course (14mm coarse aggregate size and below) is only suitable for normal road. (A proper test need to be carried out to determine the mix design of the wearing course).
Since the opening of the three lanes highway, I had seen cars skidding in front me or in the opposite direction and approximately 2 weeks ago, one of my friends who is also a frequent user of our NSE, came to share with me about his slippery feeling as well as the many skidded cars he had seen lately.

I am highlighting this to TV3 and The Star with the hope that a thourough investigation could be carried out immediately to find out how or what causes the bus to skid. A proper and independent test need to be carried out urgently to determine the design mix of the wearing course. THIS CAN SAVE LIVES.

2. Here is the Youtube link that justified about the technology he talked about in the email. From now on, I'll not driving fast at the stretch, especially during wet time and I hope you will do the same. And dont forget to tell your friend and family about this.

3. This is the event when the make of highway involved lots of bribes and such. When the accident occur, people might blame thats the driver's fault, but actually it is not 100% true.

4. The fault is big portionly thanks to the maker of the highway and the people who involve in the build. "I want to get this contract", "Give me 10%", "Ok, you got it", "Hey I wont approve the project, but 5% will do it", "Ok, you got it"..the contractor is then calculating, "Damn, I wont make any profit at this rate, I'll use crappy materials, so that I can profit too" This is how the tragedy begins..

5. Its kinda unfair if just blaming without suggesting any improvement. For my opinion, to remake or redo the badly made highway will of course eating a lot of efforts and money.

6. So that is definitely not the best solution. Since this problem frequently happening during raining/wet time, so it is best if the authorities could make something like signage on this problematic stretch. The signage must be visible during the heavy rain and must be made as frequent as possible. Such as "Be Careful during the rain", "Speed up, and your life will be sped up too" and such.

7. Huhu I think languange people is better on this. But the point is put signages as many as we can on this strecth so that people will know. And of course, after 10 years time, hopefully there is no such thing as bribe or misconduct of power during highway remade..

Don't you agree? Feel free to add and comments..

A Mystery of the Snail Without Shell - Part 1

1. I'm suddenly wondering why our prophet (p.b.u.h) suggested for a single person who still not married yet due some reason (not enough money, or no girlfriend, or etc), to fasting during the day. When I'm thinking about it, whoever fasting during the day, his/her deeds will become 7x greater.

2. Meanwhile, for married person, whether he/she fast or not, already their deeds are 7x greater and will be much greater if fasting (I'm so jealous on this fact, thats why I want getting married quickly waaaa). hmm. Well, to become fair, a single person need to fasting, and share equally greater deeds with married persons. Huhu.

3. Plus, during normal day, when u eat, u feel full because one of your desire is satisfied, this will make another desire wants their share, in particular sexual desire. Well, I can say that eating is very basic thing human needs to live.

4. So by fasting, you will lock your stomach, which implicitly also locking the other desire which will come after. So fasting is indeed best medicine for a single person to sustain him/her from doing something foolish and forbidden. So what are you waiting for? Lets fasting. huhu. Actually this is just like an intro only. The thing that I want to talk about is about a mystery of snail without shell.


5. The mystery started when one day I found some kind of sticky fluid inside on top of the carpet floor. And not only on the floor, also at window curtain. Before I left the room, no such thing as those things anywhere in the room. I thot its probably because of the cold weather outside and makes the composition of humidity inside the room to freeze.

6. Oh by the way, this story happened at my rental house at UK. And I have 2 rooms. One room to sleep and one room to surf the internet and working with my laptop. And this incident happened inside my working room.

7. So I cleaned them up and treat is as nothing happened. On the next day, when I got back to the room, I found the same again. Bah..My curiousity asked me to take the case and investigate it. And after a few days, no sign of the sticky liquid. Seems like the thing probably senses that Im looking for it. And I forgot about it and life went like a normal one.


8. One day, I just back from visiting London. The return journey was really a nightmare. If I have a time, I'll spin the yarn about the experience huhu. But I want to focus on this mystery first.

9. I arrived home very late. After cleaning up my body and after Isyak solah, while waiting for the fajar prayer (which is 2.30am) I went to the working room sat on the floor, surfing internet, suddenly I'm feeling uncomfortable with my kain pelekat, there are like wet thing under.

10. Hmm do i dream something pleasureable?? Impossible because Im not even sleep haha. Then I stand up with interest..Oh dang!! Gross! What's the heck is this???!!

What is Actually Happening? To be Continued...