IGP Says Current Laws Sufficient Following Fatal Myvi Crash Along DUKE

After the fatal crash along the DUKE highway recently that caused the death of an infant and both her parents, there has been public outcry for the compulsory use of child seats to be made law. But the Inspector-General of Police thinks the current laws are sufficient. 

Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar feels that the laws currently in place is enough to deter illegal racers, such as the ones that are currently being investigated to be the cause of said accident. The problem, he believes, is not rooted in the weaknesses of legislation, but stricter enforcement to curb illegal and dangerous drivers before they commit their offence.

“Our laws are sufficient. If someone drives dangerously, we can catch them and they can be imprisoned,” the IGP said to the Malay Mail during a press conference at the Central Seberang Perai District Police Headquarters.

Tan Sri Khalid continued, “They (illegal racers) intentionally choose the place where there is no police presence... Their illegal races aren’t planned where we can make preparations to take action against them,”

Because this matter is of such importance, the police is pulling all hands onto deck to investigate and resolve this case that involves a group of six Perodua Myvi drivers who were illegally racing along the Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway when a collision occured with the Mitsubishi Pajero containing two adults and an infant.

The Malay Mail also reports that the one of the drivers, a 35-year old female driver, claims that the victims were at fault and that the driver of the Pajero swerved into her lane, causing the accident. So far both Myvi drivers that were in custody have been released on bail. 

Many people are of the opinion that were the current laws truly sufficient, the life of an infant would have been spared. While we agree that the stopping illegal races - the root of this most recent case - should always be a priority, there doesn't seem to be anything stopping the passing of a mandate for the use of child seats. And the brushing off of the near-unanimous public requests to tweaking our current laws for increased child safety by the Inspector-General of Police will surely do little to calm the waters that this issue has stirred up.

What say you Malaysia? Are our laws good enough, or do we have some ways to go?