Drive me nuts!

The driving that I did on the demise of Mak Andak reminded me of another driving I did to Ainul’s uncle, the late Pak Chik Mat or better known as Pak Chik Terap because he lived in Terap, a small town twelve miles south west of Kulim, where my late parents-in-law , Ainuls’ parents , used to live.

When we got news of Pak Chik’s demise, we decided to make it in time for his funeral just like we did, too, for Mak Andak’s, last month. The difference was, at that time, I happened to have bought from the States a anti radar speed-trap module called the Scorpion. It was supposed to read any speed-trap radar six to eight kilometers ahead with accuracy. Thus it was, with the thought that I had the most up-to-date radar detector with me, I felt confident of avoiding being caught for speeding and hence I had the Scorpion placed at the dash board of my car for the intended fast driving for the funeral of Pak Chik. With the secured feeling of speed-trap free, I spared no thought for fast driving the moment I hit the highway going North to Ipoh and Alor Star.

Just before reaching Rawang, the Scorpion started to emit warning sounds of radar ahead and in response I immediately reduced speed. What happened next, was most unexpected. We all heard a police siren from behind us and before we knew it, a white Volvo overtook us and someone showing a police notice on a piece of cardboard frantically waved us to stop by the road pavement. This I did and a few seconds after we stopped, just as the while Volvo did too, a man in plain clothes came over to my side window screen and demanded that I surrender to him my radar detector. Seconds before this took place I told Ainul to hide the detector in her plastic bag which contained her "telekong". Thus I tried to lie my way to the police officer that I did not have any radar as alleged by him. He cautioned me not to lie and that he could have our car stripped down in order to find the detector and that was my only choice if at all I intend to seek any pardon from him.

Shamedfully we surrendered our Scorpion to the chief police patrolman, who invited me to have a look at his car’s trunk. There I saw a lot of other radar detectors that they had confiscated the earlier part of the morning. He told me that they had trailed our car the moment we left Kuala Lumpur when we activated the Scorpion. They have another detector that could detect detectors from behind the users! Hence they were following us all the while ! What bad luck I thought ! So, he asked me what would it be for me ? To pay the fine for possessing illegal detector, as well as report our case to the custom for tax evasion and attend a court summon for all the three offences? I pleaded for leniency and said that he could have the Scorpion. I had to speed because of death of an uncle whose burial was scheduled before zohor. He then told me, if it was the case of death then I could go ahead and speed home. Hence, he pressed no charges. That was a great relief indeed. When I inquired for his name, he told me that he was from the Perak Royal family just as he saw that I was from the Negri Royal family. He said " kita member " meaning we came from the same stock and this was the final leniency on the offences committed.

Talking about speeding, these days almost every Malaysian motorist speeds excessively on the road and not at all mindful of others presence. If you are trying to cross over the road and give signal your intention to the oncoming vehicles , it is almost a futile action for no one cares ! At the end of it, you simply cross the road at your own peril ! The worst speedsters are the motorcyclists who despite your signalled intention of doing so and that your car is already three quarters inside the road, these speedsters would never seem to slow down and continue at an even more higher speed !

Sometimes, you think it is little wonder that the majority of fatal road accidents involve motor cyclists. That is the reason why until today I have never driven a motor cycle and forbid my children from doing so too. Anyway, I have had quite a lesson over riding a motor scooter and been involved in an accident when I was courting Ainul, way back in the 60’s, the story of which was already told in one of my past ramblings.