[VIDEO] The 78-Year-Old Who Drove Against Traffic On The NPE Wanted To Commit Suicide
The incident happened on Thursday.
By Sadho Ram — 20 Jan 2018, 01:40 PM
On the evening of 18 January, a mobile footage showing a white Perodua Axia being driven against the traffic flow on the New Pantai Expressway (NPE) near Taman Dato Harun went viral
The less than three-minute-long video showed NPE patrol personnel trying to stop the driver. Other motorists also tried to get him to stop, but he just kept driving without being mindful of others.
In the video, which was filmed by a fellow road user, several motorists can be heard shouting at the driver to stop. But the driver refused to stop and drove even faster.
An NPE Patrol personnel's attempt to get the driver to stop his car by giving chase on his motorcycle also failed. He even tried knocking on the car's window.
However, the video shows the driver paying absolutely no heed to any instructions.
However, as traffic build-up obstructed his car, the driver tried to take a U-turn, cutting through several lanes in the wrong direction. At which point, the NPE patrol personnel finally stopped the car.
The NPE patrol personnel, who questioned the driver, said that he had defecated on his seat and was in a confused state of mind
When asked why was he driving against the traffic flow and putting others at risk, the driver told patrol personnel that he wanted to "commit suicide".
The NPE patrol personnel then contacted the driver's son, who took him home.
While the patrol personnel did not lodge a police report, district traffic police decided to lodge a report, after the video went viral, under Section 42 of the Road Transport Act.
Next day, on 19 January, the 78-year-old driver, who is from Kuala Lumpur and used to work as a small-time contractor, was brought to the district Traffic Investigations and Enforcement Department
According to a report in the Malay Mail Online, Petaling Jaya police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zani Che Din confirmed that the driver was senile.
"He is known to suffer from hearing difficulties and often lost his way whenever he leaves the house," the Malay Mail Online quoted Mohd Zani as saying, who added that the suspect was released on police bail and investigations were ongoing.