By Oswald Timothy Edward

Road safety is a critical issue in Malaysia, where traffic accidents are a major cause of fatalities. Despite legal mandates requiring seatbelt use, a significant number of drivers and passengers fail to comply, contributing to severe injuries and deaths.

A particularly concerning trend is the sale and usage of dummy seat belt buckles, which allow drivers to bypass seatbelt alerts without actually securing themselves. This practice poses grave risks and undermines road safety initiatives.

This article attempts to critically examine the consequences of not wearing seatbelts, the dangers of dummy seat belt buckles, and the need for stricter enforcement and public awareness.

The Legal Framework and Compliance Issues

Malaysia's Road Transport Act 1987 and subsequent amendments mandate the use of seatbelts for both front and rear passengers. The enforcement of rear seatbelt regulations in 2009 initially improved compliance, but adherence has since declined.

Many drivers only wear seatbelts to avoid fines rather than for safety reasons, and enforcement remains inconsistent.

One of the main reasons for non-compliance is a false perception of safety, particularly among urban drivers who believe short trips do not warrant seatbelt use.

Additionally, some individuals claim seatbelts are uncomfortable, restricting movement, or unnecessary in low-speed traffic conditions. This complacency leads to preventable injuries and fatalities in accidents.

The Dangers of Not Wearing Seatbelts

Failing to wear a seatbelt significantly increases the risk of severe injuries or death in road accidents. Studies by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) indicate that unbelted occupants are far more likely to be ejected from the vehicle or suffer life-threatening trauma during a collision.

Common consequences of not wearing seatbelts include:

1. Ejection from the Vehicle – Without a seatbelt, passengers can be thrown from the vehicle, leading to fatal injuries upon impact.
2. Increased Head and Chest Trauma – Seatbelts distribute collision forces across the body's strongest areas, reducing head and chest injuries.
3. Chain-Reaction Injuries – Unbelted rear passengers become projectiles in a crash, injuring front-seat occupants.

Despite these risks, many Malaysian motorists continue to neglect seatbelt use, particularly in rear seats.

Dummy Seat Belt Buckles: A Disturbing Trend

A growing issue in Malaysia is the sale and usage of dummy seat belt buckles, which are plastic or metal clips designed to fit into the seatbelt socket to disable the car’s seatbelt warning alarm. These products are widely available online and in automotive accessory shops, often marketed as "seatbelt alarm stoppers" or "safety belt clips."

Why People Use Dummy Buckles

1. Avoiding Seatbelt Alarms – Some drivers find the constant seatbelt warning sound irritating and use dummy buckles to silence it.
2. Perceived Comfort – Taxi and e-hailing drivers, as well as long-distance motorists, use dummy buckles under the misguided belief that seatbelts are restrictive.
3. Cost and Accessibility – These products are cheap and easily accessible, with sellers promoting them as a “convenience tool” rather than acknowledging their deadly consequences.

Legal and Ethical Concerns

The sale of dummy seat belt buckles raises serious legal and ethical concerns. While Malaysian traffic laws mandate seatbelt use, enforcement against dummy buckles remains weak.

Road safety authorities have yet to implement direct bans or penalties on their sale, despite clear evidence of their dangers. Ethically, manufacturers and sellers of these devices are profiting from a product that puts lives at risk, which raises moral questions about corporate responsibility.

Impact on Road Safety Efforts

The use of dummy seat belt buckles directly undermines Malaysia’s road safety campaigns. Organisations like MIROS, JPJ (Road Transport Department) and PDRM (Royal Malaysia Police) invest heavily in public education and enforcement initiatives.

However, as long as motorists can bypass seatbelt laws with dummy buckles, these efforts become ineffective.

Challenges in Enforcement

1. Lack of Specific Regulations – Current laws penalise drivers for not wearing seatbelts but do not explicitly criminalise dummy buckles.
2. Detection Difficulty – Unlike missing seatbelts, dummy buckles are not easily visible, making enforcement challenging.
3. Online Sales and Importation – Many of these products are imported and sold online, making regulation difficult.

Recommendations for Addressing the Issue

To combat the dangers of not wearing seatbelts and the rise of dummy seat belt buckles, Malaysia must adopt a multi-pronged approach involving stricter law enforcement, public awareness and industry regulation.

1. Strengthening Law Enforcement

• Amend the Road Transport Act to explicitly ban the sale and usage of dummy seat belt buckles.
• Increase roadblocks and vehicle inspections to detect non-compliance.
• Impose harsher penalties for offenders, including higher fines and demerit points under the KEJARA system.

2. Raising Public Awareness

• Launch anti-dummy buckle campaigns similar to previous efforts against modified motorcycle exhausts.
• Introduce real-life accident case studies showing the consequences of seatbelt non-compliance.
• Partner with e-hailing companies and fleet operators to ensure compliance among commercial drivers.

3. Regulating the Sale of Dummy Seat Belt Buckles

• Collaborate with e-commerce platforms (e.g., Shopee, Lazada) to ban sales of these devices.
• Require car accessory shops to remove such items from their inventory.
• Hold importers accountable by restricting customs clearance for these dangerous products.

Last but not least, the failure to wear seatbelts remains a major contributor to road fatalities in Malaysia, and the proliferation of dummy seat belt buckles worsens the situation by enabling reckless behaviour.

While existing laws require seatbelt use, enforcement gaps and public complacency continue to pose challenges.

To ensure road safety, Malaysia must take decisive action – banning dummy buckles, strengthening law enforcement, and intensifying public education. Road safety is a shared responsibility, and ignoring this issue could lead to preventable tragedies on Malaysian roads.

-- BERNAMA

Oswald Timothy Edward (oswaldte@gmail.com) is Senior Lecturer (Risk Management) at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Johor.