Motorists driving on the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link this afternoon got a shock of their lives when a road user driving against traffic nearly caused a multi-car collision. According to a video posted by Facebook user Roda Johor, the incident happened southbound near the Iskandar Puteri exit around 2:40 pm.
The dash cam footage shows a car encountering a gold Proton Saga FL driving in the opposite direction, and on the fast lane at that. The driver of the said car, as well as those of the Proton Exora ahead and the Proton Perdana behind, all had to take evasive action to (very narrowly) avoid the errant sedan. As yet, there are no reports of any accidents involving the Saga, nor of the driver being caught by the authorities.
Believe it or not, this is not the first time such an incident happened on the Second Link – in 2023, a lorry driving the wrong way on the highway crashed into two cars, causing minor injuries. The driver was found to have been drunk driving and was arrested.
We don’t need to remind you that the act of driving against traffic is seriously irresponsible and has caused many massive accidents, injuring and even killing those onboard. This is obviously a very extreme example being on a highway, but even doing so on smaller roads can be extremely dangerous.
If you missed a turn or an exit, the only right (and safe) thing to do is to carry on forwards and reroute your journey – a delay of several minutes is not worth risking countless lives by driving the wrong way or even reversing a few metres.
The police have said that driving against traffic falls under reckless and dangerous driving, and those convicted can be punished by imprisonment for a term of not more than five years, and with a fine of not less than RM5,000 and not more than RM15,000. A person convicted under this section can also be disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving license for a period of five years from the date of conviction.
There have been instances whereby those who have driven against traffic were found to be of old age and suffering from neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia, causing them to do something inexplicable. It is unclear if the driver of the Saga was in such a state, but this should be a reminder to everyone to make sure they are of sufficiently sound mind (i.e. neither ill nor under the influence) before they get behind the wheel.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.