This year, the first day of the Lunar New Year falls on January 22 (Sunday), which will bring 4 days of consecutive holidays. During the Lunar New Year period, many people will drive back to their hometowns for the New Year or travel for fun, so the traffic flow on the road will increase, which will also increase the occurrence of accidents.
The Malaysian Roads Department (LLM) predicts that from Friday 20 to 24, there will be about 3.8 million to 4.5 million vehicles using various roads to return home for the holidays.
Therefore, the public is urged to be especially cautious and careful when driving during or around the Lunar New Year. In addition, the authorities will also implement a series of measures to reduce the occurrence of car accidents during the Lunar New Year.
Things to note when driving during the Lunar New Year.
1. Safety operation
The police will launch a 10-day “Operation Safety 19”, focusing on six major violations, including red light jumping, speeding, emergency lane abuse, double-lane passing, dangerous passing, and cell phone use while driving.
2. Violation of specified traffic regulations will be charged to the court
Under the Lunar New Year Road Safety and Joint Operation (Ops Bersepadu), once the 7 traffic regulations are violated, the law enforcement officers will not issue tickets but will directly charge the violators to the court for adjudication. These 7 traffic violations include cutting in line, double lane passing, running red lights, speeding, using a cell phone while driving, not wearing a seat belt, not wearing a helmet, and using the emergency lane.
3. Reduce the maximum speed by 10KM per hour
In line with the Lunar New Year, the speed limit on federal highways nationwide was lowered from January 18, from the original 90 km/h to 80 km/h, until January 27, so drivers are urged to pay attention.
4. Designated heavy vehicles are prohibited on the road
During the Lunar New Year period, from January 20 to 21 and 24 to 25, some heavy vehicles will be banned from the road or will be allowed on the road only during designated periods. Given the increased traffic flow in the states during the Lunar New Year, this travel ban is intended to reduce road congestion and reduce the risk of accidents between heavy vehicles and private cars.
5. North-South Boulevard Proposed Departure Schedule
In order to slow down the traffic congestion on the avenue, North-South Boulevard Company has therefore launched a suggested travel schedule Travel Time Advisory (TTA) for the Lunar New Year period, i.e. from January 19 to 29, to facilitate people to follow the schedule.
~For drivers traveling from Klang Valley to Perlis, Kedah, Penang, and North Perak, and Johor from January 19 to 22, it is recommended to depart before 9 am. As for drivers traveling from Klang Valley to other states, it is recommended to enter North-South Road between 12:00 noon and 4:00 p.m.
~Drivers driving back to Klang Valley from January 22 to 29 are advised to depart before 9:00 a.m.
