Not long ago, in 2017 to be exact, a driver of a Mitsubishi Lancer, heading to Port Dickson from Seremban, lost his life when his car skidded and hit a road divider, causing the sole driver to be thrown out of his vehicle.
The result of the accident, which implied that the driver was insufficiently fastened, was later proved when an image of a decoy clip was inserted in the clasp of the driver side seat – an action commonly seen in vehicles with seat belt warning chimes.
Understanding that the act of putting on a decoy clip just to stop the annoying chime of the car every time you don’t buckle is a norm today, one netizen took to Facebook scolding members of the public stating that it is no point to drive a big car when the basics of keeping you safe are not adhered to.
Dr Ahmad Firdaus shares, “I scolded a driver and asked why he used a seat belt clip (decoy clip)?”
“It is convenient Dr, he told me. The alarm annoys me.”
In complete disbelief at the sight, he was witnessing, Ahmad Firdaus shared the same story of an accident that took place in 2017 where the airbag was successfully deployed, but the combination of the decoy clip and airbags was not able to stop the driver from being thrown out of the vehicle.
“Volvo developed the 3-point seatbelt but did not patent their design with the belief that they wanted to save as many lives as possible.”
“It was considered an invention that was ‘low tech, high impact’. They said that it was simple physics.”
“However, Malaysians do not understand simple physics or even simple logic for that matter. How can a system developed for your safety be considered a nuisance.”
He then went on to slam car owners who spent hundreds of thousands of ringgit on cars equipped with active and passive safety systems only for it to be tricked by an RM20 accessory.
“I urge members of the public to stop ‘tricking’ the system. Accidents can happen without a moment’s notice, hence the importance of taking extra precautions.”
So Malaysians, buckle up. It is not that hard.
