I think Road User (' Contests to help nab traffic offenders ') has a point - a monthly contest may really help. Unless of course, they abuse that system as well and give out summonses at will. As we all know, occasionally there are cases where the driver is innocent but the person just accepts the summons rather than go through the hassle of appeal.

I personally insist on a summons every time, especially if I have committed an offence (whether it's overtaking on a double line or forgetting the seatbelt). I have found that the officer will normally let me off with a warning because for them, it's too much hassle filing the report when they go back to their station. They also don't want the system to benefit if they can't get anything out of it personally.

Never have I been given a summons when I insist on a ticket. Of course, they always try and persuade you but hey, if everyone gave in, then corruption continues. It takes two to tango and if people want to complain about police corruption, it's their own fault for encouraging it.

In terms of road safety, the authorities can talk till the cows come home but in my opinion, the problem is inconsistent enforcement and the mentality of our road users.

Firstly, how many of you see patrol cars during festive periods? How many of you use the emergency lanes during these periods? How many of you have seen police cars use the emergency lanes too?

(For the second question, I'm not surprised if many of you have. For the third question, I actually have photographic proof of a police car using the emergency lane.)

I think the rakyat has a responsibility to (if they have digital cameras) use that to help "police" other road users. (I have, in addition to the photo of the police car, other photos of normal vehicles in the emergency lane during the Merdeka weekend this year just outside Karak.)

When you try to block these road users from rejoining your (legit) lane, they get abusive. Now how ironic is that? They're committing an offence and yet, they get abusive. That's what I mean about the mentality.

But, when you see your parents (usually dad) driving like maniacs (weaving in and out and not signalling when they change lanes), well, 'monkey see, monkey do'. Don't just blame only the young people for being inexperienced, the older folks hardly set the right examples.

Also, I think the authorities need to clamp down harder on aggressive young men who believe they're invincible and think they are potential F1 drivers. I see a lot of young girls in these cars driven by young men and I'm sure they're scared out of their wits but don't dare question their boyfriends/husbands because a lot of men don't like to be challenged when they're behind the wheel.

Plus, most guys would never let their girlfriends/wives drive them around. (They use stupid excuses like "oh, it would take us so long to get there 'cos she drives much slower.") Tell me if I'm wrong, guys. I am happy to be proved wrong.

Another problem when kids get killed is because parents in this country don't believe in strapping their children into car seats. This is something we should definitely copy from western countries. To them, nothing is more important than strapping their kids in.

Here, people believe they're invincible and so nothing's gonna happen to them. Wake up, people! You can be the safest driver in the world even, but the others are selfish, stupid and don't give a damn whether they live or not by the looks of it! That's the worst thing about driving; you can be safe and use the signal and constantly look in the mirrors but others don't and you can be killed because of them.

As if that's not enough, we have 'kamikaze' motorcyclists (with no lights and no side mirrors) on the road who are intent on dying, it seems.

The authorities can set up all sorts of committees to tackle the problem but how to solve the problem when the police themselves have so many faults and very likely would definitely fail more stringent driving tests?

Don't just blame reckless drivers you don't know. Start with yourself.

Ask yourself: "Do I indicate where I want to go or when I change lanes?" "Do I slow down at the roundabout?" "Do I weave in and out of traffic?" "Do I drive way too fast, with my other half and the kids in the car?")

I think the police should start looking for more cooperation from the public, and be more consistent in their work, instead of only coming out as and when they like, ie. during the run-up to festive holidays.

Why not have a website solely for the public to send in their complaints about reckless drivers and proof, if any? Of course, there may be some abuses of that service but that's why the photographic proof is important. And that's easy to do with the emergency lane offenders during festive periods. That problem can be tackled instantly.

Shall I start?