Is Making Illegal U Turn Going Against Traffic To Avoid Jam The Norm In Malaysia

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AS CITIZENS begin their mass balik kampung exodus for Hari Raya, it is a common sight that roads the length and breadth of the country experience severe congestion.
Tales of being stuck in gridlocked snarls for up to half a day with screaming children in tow have become the modern tales of horror among many Malaysians.
This, however, does not excuse the behaviour of certain motorists who think they are at liberty to bend the rules to escape such traffic jams.
A short clip uploaded on X (formerly Twitter) by user @druglordfxdl shows motorists purportedly making a U-turn on the Raub highway to avoid a traffic jam ahead.

The person recording the clip could be gleefully saying they were turning around to look for alternate routes, oblivious to the danger of going against traffic.
The video has generated 2.4 million views at time of writing while having elicited numerous comments, many of which were unimpressed by the stunt.

One netizen lamented at how so many other vehicles in the video seem to think this was acceptable by turning around.

With a few asking just where these errant motorists were headed to?

Some pointed out the many unappealing habits of Malaysians travelling during the festive period, with many social media posts highlighting the piles of rubbish left on the side of highways by motorists pausing to buka puasa (break fast).

One simply asked why these motorists did not see fit to use any of the relevant travel app before they embarked on their journey.

One netizen was disconcerted that the person recording the video seemed to think that their U-turn manoeuvre was some sort of joke.

A few said that it was typical herd mentality with others following the lead of one errant motorist.

One comment highlighted what was thought to be the root causes for such behaviour.

The word ‘stupid’ was mentioned in many of the comments but one netizen said it best.

FocusM would like to remind all road users to be mindful and respectful of the law when driving. As the PSA (public service announcement) keep reminding us all to not be a statistic this festive season.
Safe travels to all who are making the journey to their home towns this Hari Raya. – Focus Malaysia

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