Controlling fatal road accidents in Malaysia

Controlling fatal road accidents in Malaysia

Last year , 2009, there was 6,218 fatal road accidents, of which 3,730 were motorcyclists and pillion riders. (New Straits Times Wed August 25 2010) . All steps taken so far to reduced this toll has not being successful.

One of the reasons is that, drug addiction to alcohol and other addictive drugs is high in Malaysia. Studies on alcohol consumption have shown that, people sensitive to alcohol will suffer negative effects of alcohol, including poor judgment, even if taken in a small quantity. Reduction of legal alcohol limit in blood has reduced fatal road accidents. There is a suggestion that alcohol be ban when driving.

Reports from overseas.
Fatal road accidents are common overseas too. Efforts are trying to be enforced to reduce these fatalities.:

“ Our casual approach to drinking in our society is actually destroying lives and destroying people ”
Alan Morrison New South Wales Ambulance
Service Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/8407309.stm

Published: 2009/12/11 10:50:09 GMT

“Campaigns officer Ellen Booth warns even a 50mg limit would encourage misapprehensions about a certain alcohol limit - such as a small glass of wine or a half-pint of beer - being safe to imbibe before driving when, in fact, no such standard can be calculated given people's different physiologies and metabolisms. Why not ban all drink-driving?
The World Heath Organization estimated in 2008 that the proportion of UK road deaths attributable to alcohol was 17% - higher than Sweden on 16%, Germany on 12% and the Czech republic on 3.4%, but lower than France on 27%, the Irish Republic on 37% and Estonia on 48%. Overall, the European Commission says UK road deaths are relatively low at 43 per million inhabitants compared with 54 per million in Germany, 67 per millioAdvocates argue it will send a clear signal that alcohol and the road do not mix. The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (Pacts) estimates it could save 65 lives a year, as Switzerland noted a drop in alcohol-related road deaths after it reduced the limit to 50mg from 80mg: 67 per million in France and 98 per million in Estonia.

Surely the simplest solution is to say that people should not drive at all if they have consumed alcohol. This will remove any and all potential misunderstandings. This is what is practised in Japan. If you are involved in an accident and you have been drinking, you can be punished quite severely under Japanese law. Even if the accident is deemed to be anther driver's fault, you can also be held partially responsible if you have been drinking. Idocrase, Tokyo
By Jon Kelly
BBC News Magazine Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8741847.stm

Published: 2010/06/16 10:34:43 GMT

What about other addictive drugs effect on fatal road accidents?

I would not be surprised to read if studies show that other addictive drugs like morphine, cannabis, amphetamines have similar effects on fatal accidents.These drugs even kill consumers who do not drive. Like alcohol, these drugs affect the normal functions of the brain.

It is therefore frightening that besides alcohol consumption, other drug addiction is rising in Malaysia

“Designer drugs that can kill catching on among the young
PETALING JAYA: Designer drugs like methamphetamine and Ecstasy are becoming the drug of choice for abusers, who are getting younger, with some hardly in their teens.” (Starprobe
The Star Online Monday November 23, 2009)
Surely this will worsen the already high fatal accident rate in Malaysia

Severe penalty for driving after taking alcohol and other addictive drugs.

As in Japan, where fatal accidents are low, Malaysia should enforce severe penalty for people drinking alcohol and taking other addictive drugs before. Islam already bans alcohol drinking and has severe penalty of 40 to 80 lashes for alcohol consumption. Other addictive drug consumers will be punished with ta'zir law which has death as the maximum penalty
.
Compulsory testing of drug level in blood in all accidents

To enforce the law, it must be made compulsory for all those involved in accidents to undergo blood test for alcohol and other addictive drugs. Only then can fatal road accidents be controlled.

World Wide Mental Illness Epidermic

Good mental health is one of the human rights and is a basic need. Yet, many have been deprived of this basic human right and basic need. Mental illness has reached epidemic level and increasing. New Straits Times reports:

“According to a projection by the World Health Organisation, mental health problems will rise to 15 per cent worldwide in 2020 from 10 per cent in 1990.” (“Mental care panel set up” By Lydia Gomez NST 11 Aug 2010)

Malaysians are suffering too.

"Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the National Health and Morbidity Survey showed that mental health problems among children and teenagers had jumped from 13 per cent in 1996 to 20.3 per cent in 2006 while similar problems among adults showed an increase from 10.6 per cent to 11.2 per cent in the same period. (“Mental care panel set up” By Lydia Gomez NST 11 Aug 2010)

Figures from the ministry of Health is very telling:

“According to Health Ministry statistics, 400,227 mental patients sought treatment in government hospitals last year, an increase of 15.6 per cent compared with 346,196 people in 2007.”
(Malaysian Health Ministry Statistics 2006-2007 from Focus more on mental health'
2009/11/23 BERNAMA)

If we take drug addiction-- the underlying cause is stress-- as an indicator of mental illness, mental illness as an epidermic was already detected in 1985 when drug addiction became an epidermic world-wide. At that time, WHO had declared that drug addiction is out of control.

Why then has mental illness reaches epidermic level and spreading out of control, despite all the wealth, advanced knowledge and sophisticated technologies ?

The answer is very clear. Allah says, that means:

'We said: "Get down all of you from this place (the Paradise), then whenever there comes to you Guidance from Me, and whoever follows My Guidance, there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve.” ' ( Quran Al Baqarah 2:38)

Allah makes akal (mind) a human right. He teaches man how to acquire good mental health.

“Those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism), and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah, Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest .” (Ar Ra'd 13: 28).

Should man go astray from Allah's guidance and suffer mental illness, He prescribes the cure:
“O mankind! There has come to you a good advice from your Lord (i.e. the Qur'an, ordering all that is good and forbidding all that is evil), and a healing for that (disease of ignorance, doubt, hypocrisy and differences, etc.) in your breasts, - a guidance and a mercy (explaining lawful and unlawful things, etc.) for the believers.” (Yunus 10:57)

For those who insist on destroying their mind by drinking alcohol, they can be punished with 40 to 80 lashes. For those who consume drugs other than alcohol, they can be tried by tanzir laws which has death as the maximum penalty. For creating chaos and havoc in society, drug pushers, tried by tanzir laws, can be persecuted.

The fact that majority of man suffers mental illness, mainly anxiety and depression, is because man ignores Allah's guidance and strays away from Him. Man refuses to submit to Him. Hence man will continue to suffer mental illness with all the consequences, like drug addiction, AIDS, sexual diseases, crimes, violence etc.

Allah has given man a mind. Using his mind, man makes choices and bear the consequences of his choices.