Some things never change in Malaysia or with Malaysians. For as long as I can remember, there is only one thing I keep hearing during the Hari Raya season.

No, I am not talking about firecrackers because (a) firecrackers have been banned and (b) they are more of a Chinese New Year thing.

Besides, this thing I keep hearing during Hari Raya isn't exactly the sound of festivity, but rather the screams of death and anguish. Road accidents.

Malaysia is definitely on track to set a world record for the most number of people killed due to road accidents in a month. A friend of mine mentioned how this year has been the worst compared to recent years, and I agree with her.

I am sure this time last year, we were all talking how the traffic fatality rate was the worst in history; in fact we do that every year. The reality is that unless we put an end to this madness, it will only get worse.

Why would anybody be crazy enough to risk their lives on the road? The answer to that question eludes me. It is a shame that a person is willing to risk their lives and others, including their loved ones by driving recklessly.

Even more disturbing is the sight of an express bus filled with passengers sprinting through the North-South Expressway at speeds exceeding 110 km/h, sometimes at speeds over 120-130 km/h. Little do these drivers realise that they have 30-40 lives at stake excluding their own. And that doesn't even include other road users.

We need solutions, and fast. The next victim could very well be a family member, relative or friend. And these people may not even be the ones driving recklessly.

So what do we do with these lunatics? Revoke their licences, ban them from driving for several years, impose heftier fines, and imprison them.What ever it takes, the government needs to start kicking butt to put an end to all the lunacy.

Show no mercy

For private vehicles, put in place a system that varies insurance rates with respect to the driver's record. One accident (big or small, it doesn't matter) means they have to pay double the normal premium rate. Two accidents, pay quadruple and so on and so forth. Speeding violations and non-moving violations must also be factored into the driving record.

Let bad drivers bear the financial repercussions of reckless driving, and let them know that bad driving doesn't pay. Most importantly, these madmen must be reminded that this is the law, and they have no choice but to obey it. Maybe they even deserve corporal punishment, so that the scars they leave on others for life will also remain with them for life.

There should be no compromise, and no, the 'people make mistakes' or 'accidents happen' arguments are moot. There should be zero tolerance for reckless drivers, and mercy should never be shown to them.

For all commercial vehicles (buses and trucks), punish both the driver and employer. Make it a 'one strike and you're out' deal: If you drive a bus or a truck, the moment you get into an accident your licence will be revoked and your name will be blacklisted by the Road Transport Department (RTD) and you'll never again find work as a bus/truck driver.

Whatever the total damage is for an accident, make the employers pay 10 times the amount in damages to each victim (or the family of the victim). The same amount must also be paid to the RTD, and the operating permit must be placed on probation for a year.

All it should take is a single accident to count as a violation of the probation. If any of their drivers cause an accident, fatal or not, their operating license/permit will be revoked and they must pay an RM 100,000 (or more) fine to the RTD before they are allowed to reapply.

If the reapplication is approved, these companies will be placed on a two-year probation and the same rules of probation will apply. Both the commercial vehicles' drivers and their employers must be made aware that the government tolerates nothing when it comes to public safety.

Harsh, very harsh indeed. But that is exactly the one element we have been sorely lacking; zero tolerance. Let's start seeing Malaysian drivers respect traffic rules like their foreign counterparts.
Let them realise that our highways and roads are not eastern versions of the Autobahn.

Harsh or not, if these are the steps that need to be taken to reduce, if not eliminate traffic fatalities altogether, then it will be done. Try telling that to the family of a fatal accident victim. Or when you mourn the passing of a family member killed in an accident while others celebrate the passing of Ramadhan.

Still think it's too harsh?

HAFIDZ ISMAIL is a final-year student in mechanical engineering at the University of Minnesota, USA.