Malaysians have long earned a reputation for being absolute maniacs when it comes to driving on the road. And for those visiting from other countries, it is a bewildering and stressful experience.
A man from Taiwan had the biggest culture shock of his life during a visit to Malaysia, where he was extremely floored by how fast Malaysians drivers were while behind the wheel.
Taiwan man freaked out by how fast M’sians drive
Taking to Xiaohongshu to share his experience on Mar 27, the Taiwanese man highlighted several aspects of Malaysian drivers that left him speechless.
First, he expressed how confused he was to see motorcycles driving on the highway alongside cars at speeds of up 120km/h.
“At first I thought it was just an expressway, but when my friend was driving at a speed of 120km/h, the motorcycle beside me is also speeding. I exclaimed, ‘Eh, this is really a highway!’“
Next, he noticed that Malaysian drivers didn’t have the habit of turning on their signal lights, something that would earn them a police report if they did the same in Taiwan.
He added that he would often be “scared to death” whenever drivers would cut into their lane without flashing their signal light but would then be assured by his Malaysian friends that they already saw it coming from miles away.
The Taiwanese man then turned his attention to the breakneck speeds Malaysian drivers often hit while on the road, joking that every driver was a “car god”.
Every car is a supercar. Drivers who own a Toyota would drive like it was a Maserati!
Last but not least, he said that he was puzzled by why his Malaysian friends would freak out whenever he sounded the horn if a car or motorcycle got too close to him.
“My usual driving habit would be to sound the horn as a warning if I see a driver getting too close to me. This usually would cause my Malaysian friends to become afraid and tell me not to honk randomly.”
‘Welcome to Malaysia!’
In the comment section, Malaysians largely agreed with the Taiwan man’s observations about local drivers and chipped in their thoughts as well.
‘Malaysians are usually calm and polite, but once they start driving they become impatient and reckless individuals.’
‘In Malaysia, you need to have the power of imagination as you need to predict whether the car next to you will cut into your lane or not.’
In the same vein, a netizen suggested that the Taiwan man pay Penang a visit, adding that KL drivers were ‘peanuts’ compared to Penangites.
Do you agree with the Taiwan man’s observations about Malaysian drivers? Let us know in the comments!