Many would have read The Star 's special edition on Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and will not fail to notice a comment made by Mahathir's wife Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali and one of his sons. That of his passion for speed.

In one of the interviews, his son mentioned that the premier once drove at 200km/h and found it funny that his aides were left behind. This is quite a speed to drive at for a grandpa.

What I find ironic is the number of Malaysians who are keen to follow in his footsteps. One need only take a drive down Federal Highway at midnight to witness Malaysians test the 200 km/h mark. But, what is the big deal? Mahathir does it too.

Well, the difference is, more attempt such speeds in Kancils and Satrias than perhaps in Mercedes or Porsches. If one owns a machine not capable of doing such speeds, one should not pretend that the machine can.

Notice the colourful LEDs which made its debut on mobile phones? Notice now that they are everywhere? Head lights, front bonnet, rear bonnet, dashboards. You name it, it is there. As a general observation, it seems that the bigger the exhaust pipe, the bigger the driver's ego. The lower the car, the lower is the driver's respect towards others on the road.

Hopefully with a more mellow incoming prime minister, the attitude of this breed of Malaysian drivers will also whittle down. Meanwhile, if you are driving and suddenly hear a storm brewing, check the rear view mirror. If you see a tiny dot lit up like a Christmas tree trying hard to home in on your rear bumper, be considerate and move over. A ' Racer Kampung ' is about to pass and is unlikely to give up at any cost.