16 accident hotspots you MUST KNOW ahead of Raya 2022

Y’all know what time it is – Raya’s just around the corner, and since most Malaysians didn’t get to balik kampung last year due to the Co Co, the PDRM estimated around 4.7 million vehicles to hit major highways in the next few days. After all, shoving rendang down your piehole on a video call with your family for Raya just isn’t the same as sharing a table with them in person, is it?

But with all that traffic on the highway comes something else: an increase in road accidents compared to non-festive seasons, and to help y’all stay safe, we’ve got some accident hotspots that you might wanna watch out for when you’re driving back to your hometowns.

Before we go full throttle tho, smol disclaimer: we can’t possibly cover ALL the hotspots nationwide, so yeah, just take this article as a rough guide, not a comprehensive list. We’d also like to give Qoala Malaysia a shoutout for providing us some of these hotspots.

1. North-South Highway

We’re starting off with the big boy, the North-South Highway. There’s definitely more hotspots we didn’t include, but here’s a few of the major ones:

• Rawang – Simpang Pulai
• Tanjung Malim – Bukit Lanjan
• Gua Tempurung area (km291 – km310.8)
• Kuala Kangsar – Bukit Gantang
• Sungai Petani – Gurun
• Kangar – Padang Besar stretch
• Rawang Selatan lay-by – Sungai Buloh Hospital stretch
• Senai Utara – Skudai

There’s also the Kuala Lipis – Merapoh stretch (separate from the North-South Highway) that has seen frequent accidents.

2. Karak Highway

One of the worst traffic disasters in Malaysian history, the infamous 1990 Karak Highway crash which left 15 dead and 16 people with serious injuries happened right here, folks. You’ll wanna be especially careful on the stretches heading toward Genting Highlands and Bentong.

3. Federal Highway

There’s no denying that many motorists go over the speed limit on the Federal Highway in the wee hours, and as a bonus, it’s a popular place for Need for Speed reenactors (see: illegal racing). Probably best to think of the entire highway as a big, black hotspot.

4. Simpang Pulai – Blue Valley (Cameron Highlands) stretch

As a family-favorite tourist destination, Cameron Highlands receives visitors that number in the hundreds of thousands a year. Some of y’all that are heading there from Perak will want to be more careful on the Simpang Pulai – Blue Valley stretch that’s known for its sharp turns, steep slopes, and occasionally, landslides.

5. Pan Borneo Highway

We’ve got a little something for our readers from East Malaysia too – some of these Pan Borneo Highway hotspots are known to be deadly to drivers:

• Jalan Bintulu – Tanjung Kidurong
• Sarikei – Betong (km421 – km431 & km439 – km448)
• Jalan Sibu – Bintulu
• Jalan Simpang Gedong stretch

Better to arrive late than not arriving at all

Raya is supposed to be a time of joy, and nothing can be worse for your family than getting news that you’ve met with an accident on the way back to see them. Even if you’re aware of the hotspots we’ve listed above, it’s still good to remember a couple of things on your balik kampung drive:

• Super duh, but try to follow the speed limit
• Check your vehicle to see if it needs servicing before making the trip
• This one slips our mind a lot – stop for a break if you’re tired

And if, touch wood, you do get into an accident, don’t panic. Stop your vehicle, check to see if you or your passengers are injured, exchange info (name, address, contact information, etc) with other drivers involved in the crash, and call for a tow truck if needed. You DO NOT have to immediately go to the balai, you have 24-hour leeway, so other immediate things, like hospital visits, can come first.

Anywho, we at CILISOS wish y’all a very premature Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, and remember, better late than never. Sekian.