Over the past week, there have been remarks on social media by motorists who have become frustrated by what seems to be the increasing number of vehicles on the road. This is in spite of the Movement Control Order (MCO) restricting a large portion of the population to their homes. This being the case, it is expected that the traffic volumes should be less.

However, it has to be noted that the MCO does not stop people from travelling if they wish to go to the supermarket to buy essential items or to pick up food orders. So there will still be many vehicles on the road daily and their occupants (should be one person in the vehicle) are not breaking the law.

70% of motorists are in essential services
What the police have found is that 70% of the vehicles on the road are those being driven by people in essential services – those who work in banks, hospitals and telcos, for example. And as additional sectors have been allowed to resume operations, there will be more and more vehicles on the road in coming weeks when the companies receive their approval letters and recall their employees for daily work.

The other thing to also remember is that the roadblocks will inevitably create a queue. On the Federal Highway between Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya, for example, three lanes are closed off and traffic is directed to a single lane. Each vehicle has to stop and be checked which requires a bit of time. It may be helpful of the police have two lanes instead but manpower may be an issue as they have had to set up roadblocks nationwide.

Travel during off-peak hours
From the police studies, about 25% of the motorists are those who are buying essential items or doing other permissible things such as going to a hospital. Of course, there are also those who travel for invalid reasons which is why the checking is needed, and those who are found to be doing so are likely to be arrested and have to pay a RM1,000 fine as well as spend time in jail.

The police recommend that those who are out buying stuff travel at non-peak hours which would be after 9 am or before 5 pm. In this way, there will be less traffic on the road so those who are working in the essential services can proceed with less delay.

Less crime, less accidents
Meanwhile, it has also been found that crime and road accidents have fallen significantly. Since the MCO started on March 18, the number of road accidents has dropped by almost 70%, with a total of 10,382 accidents recorded between March 18 to April 14.

However, the reduced traffic on many roads has also led some motorists to ignore laws. There have been complaints of speeding and even more dangerous, not stopping for red lights at junctions. Yes, it’s nice to drive around but you still need to adhere to laws.

Face mask not compulsory
Incidentally, wearing a face mask is not compulsory when out of the home (unlike in Singapore now). So if you choose not to wear one while driving, you will not be committing any offence. Of course, for the personnel at roadblocks who have to check thousands daily, it would  make them feel more comfortable if the driver has a face mask on but there are no grounds for being detained if he or she does not wear one.

All other earlier regulations relating to travel remain in force and we are not aware of any changes. The authorities have clarified that those who have to travel beyond the 10-km range because they have to go for specialised medical treatment are permitted to do so. Of course, they should have documents to prove their need to travel further. The police are not insensitive to genuine cases and what angers them is people who tell lies or simply refuse to follow the basic instruction to #stayathome.

Limited activities in auto industry permitted in final (hopefully) phase of MCO