Police patrol car

Check out the livery on the Polis Bantuan UiTM patrol car below. Refreshing ain't it? 

Proton Waja Campro (Apple iPhone 4s)

But it does feel a little plain doesn't it? The following images show various current PDRM patrol cars:

Proton Inspira (Yahoo image search)

Proton Perdana (Yahoo image search)

Mitsubishi Triton (Yahoo image search)

Chevrolet Cruze (Yahoo image search)

The livery on these vehicles is very consistent. In fact, the blue and yellow checks are common visual devices for police patrol cars around the world although they come in many shapes and sizes, and with varying hues as well. The idea is that people who are being stopped by or bundled into know that they are in the hands of the 'real' authority. Therefore a strong visual identity is important to protect the integrity of the force. And by the way, the Chevy Cruze patrol car is brand new so I don't think it has hit our roads yet.

What do you think of the ultra-fast Mitsubishi Evo X patrol car that polices our highways? It spots a different livery entirely...

It is a little menacing isn't it? The car is very powerful and should be more than capable to address most speed demons.  The livery is designed that way to tell you to not play games with it. As far as design, I am for the elite squad to imply certain messages visually but feel that some design cues from the group should be carried through.

But the car below excites me!

It's a Kia Forte. Check out the translucent beacon and spotlight on the A-pillar. It's got KITT-inspired lights on the front grille and is that reinforced bumper protector? With its part white, part matte black colour scheme, the car will undoubtedly fit right in with any futuristic cop movie, like Robocop. Note the serial number on the bumper and the font it uses... Contemporary yes?

Have badge will travel...

Have you noticed the badge that some drivers have on their cars? I think you should make an effort to squint your eyes and try read the text on it because it is beneficial for you to be aware of who these drivers are.

I could not make out the text on the above but the crest is unmistakably PDRM's, only that it has two shaking hands across the centre portion. Maybe it is an association or a club that is associated with the Police. I don't think a member of the force is required to wear a badge on his or her personal ride... 

Speaking of which, the driver above seemed to have the actual PDRM crest on his Alphard. He should be a high-ranking officer because the MPV as you and I know is not a cheap vehicle to buy. It's good to be able to spot a police officer immediately in our presence, in case we need his help to catch biker snatchers who are quite rampant on the streets nowadays. I don't think the driver placed it there to get favours or escape speeding fines. No... of course not. 

If you are a Datuk or someone who carries an official title before his name, you need to let the other drivers know that you are one so that they can be extra careful while near you. The Accord above has the crest and it was parked on the OKU spot at a nearby McDonald's. I'm pretty sure he has the blue sticker on the front windshield as well that allowed him the privilege in the first place.

A friend whom I go hiking with once in a while has a badge of the Selangor state government crest along with the text that reads 'Senior Citizen of Selangor.' He told me that the badge is widely available and the message can be customized. Now, I am not suggesting that all the badges above are fake. That never crossed my mind...

Lately, I see a lot of cars with the Malaysian Bar Council badge on them, like the one above. It's good to know who these people are just in case we need friendly advice on legal matters. But another reason why members have the emblem on their vehicles must be of practicality—place to park around the Bar Council office can be difficult to find so that the DBKL road patrol unit or the traffic police or members of the public for that matter, know where to find them should they need to remove their cars.

I am totally at lost with the crest on this Sentra but I'm confident it's there for our own good as well. 

For the driver above, I'm sorry but I think that number plate has to go. That is the European Union state identifier plate format for vehicles in that region to facilitate their crossing borders. Last I checked no Malaysian cars are required to use this plate simply because Malaysia is no EU state. And for the record, UN is not an EU member. If you do want to make a statement, at least make a right one!

Retro everything

This shot was taken at the Royale Bintang Hotel in Mutiara Damansara. It was the 2007 Honda CB1100F, a faithful rendition of the original 1983 model. 

The bike was really nice (Apple iPhone 4s)

Although there's plenty of chrome-plated parts which was quite different than the striking red and white livery of its predecessor, it looked 'original' enough to fool me. 

It's quite easy to pass one as a restored motorcycle, rather than the modern replica. 

Check out the Kawasaki W800 below!

Based on the W series, which was popular in the late 60s to early 70s (Yahoo image)

Did you miss it or did you not? 

The icon is back...

VW recently launched its new Beetle here in Malaysia. It's dubbed as a 2012 model but was actually introduced in other mature markets last year.

The 2012 VW Beetle (Yahoo image)

The picture below shows the reinterpreted Beetle from 1997. It of course started the trend among car manufacturers to revive iconic models by keeping the retro lines but injecting contemporary design cues. The BMW followed suit with its MINI One in 2001. Six years after in 2007, Fiat did it with its super cute 500. As usual, the Italian carmaker is always late in the game.

The 1997 VW Beetle (Yahoo image)

Meanwhile, somewhere off Balastier Road in Singapore there was a two-toned Beetle looking every bit as authentic as can be. It's amazing that the car seemed to be as tall as the Matrix behind it.

The car was solid and chunky (Apple iPhone 4s)

Do vote for your favourite Beetle in the poll ok.

Eyesore

There were 47 of them from my office in PJ en route to Kota Damansara. A staggering 98 from KLCC to the same destination, if NKVE was used. Even for a distance of roughly five kilometres, from Kota Damansara to IPC there were 13. And you know that there's one for every other lamp post from KLIA to anywhere. 

They are everywhere (Apple iPhone 4s)

They come in various sizes and shapes and to you and I they are known simply as billboards. But within the advertising community, they are sold as gantries, Unipole towers, overhead panels, arches, wraps and Spectaculars. It’s a multi-million ringgit business, looking rather healthy at the ADEX counter.

They are not pretty (Apple iPhone 4s)

In order to erect the structure, prior approvals and licenses from the authorities need to be obtained. Then the marketing team at the outdoor advertising companies will go and get willing advertisers. Contracts (i.e. rental agreement between the advertiser and the billboard owner) will be signed for a period of time for an agreed amount of money. Creative work and production will kick in now, if not earlier. When the contract’s up, the advertiser has the first right of refusal whether to continue or terminate. If it was terminated, the billboard owner would go to the market and start looking for another advertiser. 

They are pushy (Apple iPhone 4s)

The process can also be reversed in that the billboards may not even be there in the first place. Likelihood of sites not available when the advertisers want it is always high, especially when they are premium locations. Sometimes, the advertisers with their own business reasons, want to make a statement or create a difference with a certain outdoor venture. The advertisers can express their desirable locations to the outdoor advertising company and likewise, the latter would give ideas on possible locations to explore. It's a two-way street. At the end of the day, responsibility still lies with the outdoor advertising company to do the groundwork to make sure that the billboards happen and clients are happy.

They are distracting (Apple iPhone 4s)

Looking at the mushrooming of the billboards, it is safe to assume that there doesn't exist a framework or policy to guide the placement of such advertising that would coincide with the higher agenda of beautifying a constituent. Even if there is one, I'm pretty sure it only pertains to the structure requirement, the authorities license number, its logo placement and slogan of the day, where applicable. 
The authorities need to rethink their approach to outdoor advertising policing. I really hope the proliferation of the said channel is not motivated by sinister reasons.  
Billboard spotting and counting can be fun. Try it. You'll be amazed at the numbers.

Emergency lane is for emergency vehicles

That is as possibly plain as it can get. 
I'm very sure there is no beacon on the roof of your souped up Vios. Did your Gallardo sport the blue and yellow police decals? Or are you authorized to stick out one of those magnetic base sirens as Hutch would on his Gran Torino? 
If your answers were Yes, No and No to the above, then you are not supposed to be driving on the emergency lane. And while I'm at it, take note that it is also an offense to pretend to be a policeman or to be more apt in this case, a police patrol car. Or any emergency vehicle at all for that matter. And why do you like to place the PDRM sticker on your car? Is that even legal? Where did you buy it? Did you hope to scare people off? The thought makes me sick. 
Even if you are a real cop, is there a need to tell the other drivers that you are one? Are we supposed to yield when you cut onto our lane? I'm confident that there is no policy to state that a copper needs to have that sticker on his or her ride.  
The evening rush hour after the NKVE toll plaza northbound is usually a slow crawl as cars go into a bottleneck, trying to get to dinner on time. One day while driving home from work on the said stretch, I saw cars going very fast on the very lane they shouldn't get on to. 
These were no ordinary cars too. There was a Bentley, a Merc E-class (current W212 model), a Q7 and a string of go-fast MyVis and Wajas, not necessarily in that order. Some had their hazard lights on too. It is just not cool to switch those lights on when you are already doing something illegal. OK, maybe there are the occasional genuine cases where you need to get to the hospital on a double quick-time but those cars I saw were definitely just being trigger happy with the accelerator pedal. I just knew. 
It is appalling to see drivers (I mean both chauffeur and the owner) of luxury cars behave as though they own the road. They've got to have a bit of class and manners when parading around in flash cars. I believe in that. Shame on you.
Just for the record, emergency lane is for emergency vehicles to get to emergency sites and hospitals as fast and safe as they could. Now, you don't want me to go to cars who tailgate ambulance do you?

Don't hog the fast lane!

Folks, know that you are depriving other drivers of their need to go faster. Don't think that by sticking to the speed limit you have the God-given right to stay on the fast lane.
Even if it wasn't a case of an emergency, you wouldn't know what the blazing Ferrari was up to right, so don't judge. You either move to the slow lane or he will tailgate you until your heart beats faster than it should. Failing to do the latter quick enough would prompt the driver to seize the slow lane and pass you in a matter of seconds, while giving you the dirty look or worse still, the middle finger. All of which are very annoying don't you think? So, save yourself the agony.

Move it, move it (Apple iPhone 4s)

Wait, there's one more. Know that the right lane is always for overtaking and this principle applies to a three-lane ring road or expressway as well. This means if you intend to admire the scenic view or romance the fairer (go both ways) passenger in your car, take the leftmost lane. It is built for those who have all the time in the world. Don't hog the middle lane and create a train out of automobiles.
Once in a while, I do get the thrill of slowing down a fast car but only if I judged that the driver had been driving recklessly. I could tell somehow from experience but don't copycat this action unless you know what you are doing.

Say thank you please

Why is it very difficult for our drivers to say thanks when they have been given way? I mean I don't expect them to whisper the word because I will not notice that anyway, let alone wind down the window and utter it in a perfectly clear diction but not even a smile of the artificial kind, come on. Eye contact is far and few in between, especially if I'm the one asking for way. They will try their utmost best not to acknowledge my existence, effectively passing the buck to the next driver. And we shall repeat this ten more times.

Sometimes, bus and lorry drivers have better manners on the road.

What ever happened to the good old wave? Five or six years ago, I could still see drivers doing that as a signal of gratitude for allowing them the space caused by their own queue cutting but justified actions or not, nowadays the act seems to have been lost in the carbonous oxide. I get fumed up (pun intended) quickly if I made so much effort to brake or slow down as a courtesy to the offending driver only to get nothing from him, or her.

If opening your mouth or raising your hand or smiling your yellowing teeth prove too physical or perhaps not cool, try flashing your hazard lights for a couple of ticks. It's so easy. Just press the red triangle on your dashboard. One blink means thanks, twice means thank you and if you really felt guilty about that car screeching just so you could squeeze in, try multiple blinks which mean you were not supposed to cut in but had to because of another idiot but thank you so much for the trouble you took.

That's the least anyone could do if all else fails. Drivers in the UK do this and what's more, they normally accompany it with a heartfelt wave.

I hope someone will pick this simple gesture up and include it in the road safety curriculum to be introduced at our schools next year.

In the meantime, why don't you start practising it? It will be quite amusing to see that puzzled face in the rearview mirror.

A mellow encounter...

The PH household bumped into an old mate today while walking back to our car. My other half did not remember instantly despite him wearing his trademark white shirt until I pointed out to her vital signs that it was really him. My elder son could only recall vaguely but admitted that the shirt was familiar. I don't blame my son for that because at the time we were close acquaintances he was only about three or four. He should be surprised if I told him that he was very close to this friend of ours, always playing piggyback, hunching on his shoulders, even throwing up all over him every now and then. When that happened, I would just offer to clean his clothes and nothing else. But he would not protest as he's not one to let innocent incidents affect our relationship.

At times, he would drive us to and fro Johor Bahru but never complained about the long haul trip and heavy load. Once in a while, our relatives moved stuff and I volunteered him without even checking if he minded. Come to think of it, it was very unprofessional of me but I could not help it as I knew he could do the job without much hassle. The bulky items at Ikea, especially from As Is were no problem to him. I always wonder if he ever thought us taking advantage of his kindness and reliability.

He has not changed one bit. Still wearing white, in good shape as always and sporting the same haircut—close crop, flat top. My sister-in-law now remembered and so did her nephew. I snapped a photo before we bade goodbye.

Oh, he's a true mate and such a gentleman. In many ways, he's family. This encounter makes our hearts grow fonder of him.

PH household trusted ex-companion, Volvo V70 plate no. WGL3818 (Apple iPhone 3GS)