LETTER | Clamp down on sale of dangerous car accessories

LETTER | Earlier this year,  Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) director-general Khairil Anwar Abu Kassim urged the government to ban the sale of car accessories that could pose a risk, especially in the event of a crash.

One such item is the dummy buckle, which was originally meant for plus-sized individuals, but has since been misused by people who refuse to buckle up while driving. 

By inserting the dummy buckle into the seat belt buckle, these drivers can avoid the annoying chimes a modern car emits when the belt buckle isn’t fastened.

Miros confirmed that the dummy buckle seat belt alarm was not able to activate the airbag when there was a collision impact during accidents.

A recent survey by the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) shows that these dummy buckles are widely available on various shopping platforms especially at car accessories shops and are priced as low as RM 3.00 to RM 8.00.

The seatbelt remains as one of the most important safety inventions in road safety. 

It is most effective especially during frontal vehicle collision with an almost 50 percent reduction of death and serious injury for driver and front passenger.

Even currently, while there is no law that prohibits the sale of such products, CAP urges the Ministry of the Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs to ban the said items from the market.

MOHIDEEN ABDUL KADER is the president of Consumers Association of Penang (CAP).

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