Compulsory rear seatbelt usage from June 2008 onwards

Ever since Germany made compulsory the usage of rear seatbelt from 1984 onwards, more and more countries ruling the same, and Malaysia will have this enforced from 1 June 2008 onwards. A 3 months "grace period" will be given whereby passengers found breaking this rule will be warned, and from 1 September 2008 onwards, they will be summoned.

The function of seatbelt is to reduce injuries by stopping the wearer from hitting hard interior elements of the vehicle or other passengers during collision or emergency break. Passengers with seatbelt buckled up will have better chance to survive from accident, and researches have concluded that car drivers and/or front-seat passengers are 5 times more likely to die in a crash if their back-seat passengers are unrestrained.

However, by the moment this ruling in Malaysia only applies to cars manufactured from 1 January 1995 onwards. It is temporary waived for a 3 years period to those vehicles manufactured before 1 January 1995, after which the ruling will apply for them too. This is because most vehibles registered after 1 January 1995 are equipped with rear seatbelts, and those without are urged to fit in as soon as possible. Perodua Kancil and Kenari cars manufactured between 1998 until mid-2004 will also be exempted from the ruling until 2011 (3 years later).

This ruling is expected to impact on the total amount of passengers that can be carried in the car. A 5-seater can then carry up to 5 persons including the driver, all fasten with seatbelts respectively, and a 7-seater can carry 7 persons. So far, the Road Safety Department does not indicate whether seatbelt usage will also be compulsory for 3rd row seats or not.

Anyhow, the original Toyota Avanza already equipped with 7 seatbelts for all 3 rows of passengers, and has no problem for its passengers to comply with this ruling.

The tragic 8.0 Richter earthquake in SiChuan, China

It was just 10 days after Myanmar (Burma) struck by the deadly storm brought by tropical cyclone Nargis, where more than 5,000 square kilometer of area affected, causing hundred of thousand families lost their home, shelter or even lives. On 12 May 2008, a terrific earthquake measuring 8.0 Richter scale (earlier reported as 7.8) hit the south west of China, bringing severe damage to more than 10,000 square kilometer, completely destroyed most of the townships in Wenchuan County (汶川县), turning them into dead towns of ashes and bodies. That powerful quake was felt as far away as Beijing, 1500 kilometers to the north, as well as in Bangkok, Thailand 3300 kilometers to the south. Many are burried, and the survivors are refuging from their home...








To date, it is reported that all across SiChuan, 32,477 people has died, and 220,109 injured. Many are still buried in the collapsed buildings. The towns are filled with smell of dead bodies.

Imagine that just overnight, your house tumbled into ashes. Or even though it is not yet collapsed, it is no longer safe and you dare not stay in it for another second. Imagine that just overnight, you lost everything, your home, your property, your beloved, and even your life. It is really a horrible tragedy, and this is not a movie, but a real disaster in SiChuan.

They are shocked, they are in great sorrow. They need to get medicated, they need shelter and food, and they need help to rebuild their home. What can you offer for them?

Click here to go to Tzu Chi Foundation (慈济基金会) homepage for info and donation.

Click here to go to World Vision (世界宣明会) homepage for info and donation.

Hidden card holder clip in Perodua Myvi

Since inception in 2005, Perodua Myvi has been one of the best selling car in Malaysia, and there is one in my household too. If you drive Perodua Myvi, probably you are aware of a small drawer to the lower right of the car ignition key hole, as shown below:



Do you notice something in the drawer? Yes, there is a hidden clip on top of the drawer, and many Myvi drivers probably don't aware of its existance or usage. It is "hidden" because you won't see the clip if the drawer is not viewed upward at this angle.

This is actually a card holder clip that you can "hide" your Touch 'n Go card, petrol station loyalty card, autogate access card, etc. on it, just like this:



Pretty cool isn't it?