Mobile Offence

Today’s feature article for the Star Online is about motorists using handphones while driving. That article reminded me of the times I’ve been pulled over for that very same offence. Yes, more than once. Two times to be exact. And I was never fined or punished for both instances. No bribes involved. Amazing isn’t it? Testament to my awesome negotiating skills.

1st Offence:
I’m driving from Bukit Jambul, heading home after getting a parking ticket for parking in an illegal spot. Yes, two traffic offences in less than half and hour. A record for me. And my Mom calls. I answer as I zoom by a bunch of policemen at the side of the road. There’s another congregation of policemen a few meters away, and one of them signals me to pull over.

“Shit. I’m so dead.”
“Hello, Encik. U tau apa you buat salah?”
“Errr….ya. Pandu kereta sambil guna handphone.”
“U tau kan itu satu kesalahan”
“Ya, Encik. Sorry la. Mak aku panggil. Ini first time aku kena tangkap untuk ini.”
“Oh, first time eh? U umur berapa? Hmmm…masih “P licence ah! U punya lisen boleh kena gantung tau?”
“Tau Encik. Sorry la. Bagi chan laaa.”
“U bapa kerja apa?”
“Err….dia kerja dengan Koh Tsu Khoon.”
“Oooh. Orang besar aaah.”
(disappears behind my car for a few seconds and reappears soon after)
“Oklah, saya bagi lu chan. Saya kesian you la. P-lisen, masih muda.”
“Oh, thank you! Thank you! Saya janji lain kali saya takkan buat.”
“Mengapa lu nampak masih sedih? Senyum untuk aku laa.”
“Ok.” (flash him the best smile I could muster)

2nd Offence:
I’m driving home after dropping off a friend of mine. It’s at night. I overtake a police outrider. Two minutes later, Huan Lin calls me. I answer thinking that the outrider was long gone. I was so wrong. He flashes his lights at me and pulls me over.

“Hello, Encik. Saya nampak lu pakai handphone semasa pandu kereta.”
“Oh, ya. Kawan saya panggil. Sorry la.”
“U tau berapa saman tak? Harga sudah naik lo. Dulu lagi murah, skarang banyak tinggi lo.”
“Adoi, tolonglah Encik, saya tak sengaja punya. Tolong maafkan la. Saya pelajar luar negara. Minggu depan sudah mau balik belajar.”
“Ooh, belajar kat mana?”
“Amerika.”
“Ooh, jadi lu mesti kaya la. Boleh bayar saman.”
“Tak tak! Saya under biasiswa. Biasiswa Petronas. Bukan duit bapa punya! Tengok kereta saya pun Proton Wira saja. Tolong la. Saya berapa hari saja dah nak balik belajar dah.”
“Hmmm....baiklah. Jangan buat lagi tau.”
“Oh, terima kasih, Encik. Terima kasih banyak-banyak!”

I think it’s interesting how using mobile phones while driving is perfectly legal in the USA, when the number of road accidents appear to be a lot less than in Malaysia (ratio wise of course). In Penang alone, I see fender benders on Scotland Rd almost every three to four days. Here in the US, they are extremely rare. So really, does cell phone use while driving correlate with the number of accidents occurring? Apparently not. Maybe Malaysians just aren’t as skilled at multitasking.