how to escape speed traps in m'sia

rare is the person who doesn't speed on malaysian roads? open road and 100s of km to go, who is not tempted to go beyond 110m. unless you are like my pilot friend james who switches to cruise control once he hits the lebuhraya. or disciplined like my colleague seow who keeps within the limit all the time.

in my 25 years of driving i have not been caught for speeding. however, i am not one of those who feels that speed is unlimited once he is on the malaysian highway. there are those who say with pride that they dash from kl to s'pore in two and a half hours. i can never claim that. i normally take more than four hours to make the journey from s'pore to kl.

i do speed but selectively and i am always alert for any signal or sign from helpful motorists going in the other direction. i do not speed when i am nearing the main rest-stops or any of the toll plazas outside the big towns. i slow down to the legal limit when i am approaching overhead bridges, underpasses and crossings. i slow down whenever i see that the malaysian motorists are, all of a sudden, driving sanely.

the universal signal for speed trap ahead is the flashing of the headlights from vehicles going past you in the opposite direction. once i see a flash, i adopt a cautious mode and adjust to the correct speed. even if it is a false alarm, it does not matter.

the best thing to do to avoid being booked for speeding is use the cruise control or to keep to the limit all the time.