A report by Zutobi back in July, Malaysia was the second most stressful country for learner drivers.
In fact, a Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (MIROS) research survey has estimated that 2.4 million of the 13.3 million registered motorists in the country exhibit “furious anger” while driving.
So it is definitely a surprise when a British tourist recently shared that Malaysian drivers are “pretty respectful”.
In a post on Thread, @mark_dearlove shared that he had rented a car during his trip in Malaysia and recommended driving as an option for any tourist who is looking to explore more places.
“We rented a car in Malaysia and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to have a bit of freedom and explore places you might not otherwise.”
He then went on to share his thoughts on driving in Malaysia, explaining the low car rental prices, great roads, cheap fuel, and that the drivers are pretty respectful when compared to the other countries he has travelled to.
He clarified in the comments that he has driven in plenty of countries and Malaysia “was very easy”, adding that driving in Manhattan was worse.
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“Rental prices are low, roads are great, fuel is ridiculously cheap by UK standards (40p/L vs £1.40/L), and drivers are pretty respectful compared to many other places I have been.”
The last sentence especially took Malaysian netizens by surprise who quickly flooded the comment section.
“Malaysian drivers are respectful? Now that’s new! Road rage is actually pretty common here, but always nice to have a fresh perspective from foreigners,” commented @atman.adman.
A few Malaysian netizens shared that they were caught off guard by the “great roads” compliment.
“Can’t believe we got complimented with our roads cause we complain about it every single day,” said a surprised @bolognesecurry.
@mark_dearlove however did warn potential tourists who plan on renting a car to drive to be aware of macaques, dogs, monitor lizards, and motorcyclists
