Getting it right on the road

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Potentially lifesaving: Being aware of emergency phones along highways and Rest and Service areas can contribute to making journeys safer. — ART CHEN/The Star

PETALING JAYA: With millions travelling on the highways during the festive Hari Raya season, paying attention to the road safety features and tips could help reduce accidents while also saving lives, say road safety experts.

The advice comes as a total of 2,929 road accidents and 53 deaths were recorded in just a day on the eve and first day of Raya on April 9 and 10 respectively.

Road safety expert Assoc Prof Dr Law Teik Hua from Universiti Putra Malaysia said most drivers tend to overlook the important road safety features along the major highways.

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“Educating the public about road safety features along highways is crucial, particularly with the expected increase in traffic during the Raya festive period.

“Highlighting lesser-known road safety features, such as emergency phones at intervals along the highway and strategically located Rest and Service Areas (RSA), are essential for enhancing driver awareness and promoting safer journeys,” he said when contacted yesterday.

Other common safety features usually taken for granted by drivers are the lane markings, reflective studs and the Variable Message Signs (VMS) which are strategically located along the highways.

“The VMS provide real-time updates on traffic conditions, accidents and road closures, enabling drivers to make informed decisions and adjust their routes accordingly to avoid potential hazards,” he said.

The lane markings and reflective studs serve as visual cues, especially during night time or bad weather, by helping drivers stay within their lanes while maintaining safe distances from other vehicles, Law added.

While there are currently traffic surveillance cameras to help monitor traffic, he suggested the use of AI-powered analytics and predictive modelling as tools to further enhance road safety along the highways.

Law noted that ultimately, it is raising public awareness among drivers on such road safety features which is crucial.

PLUS Malaysia Bhd (PLUS) expects over two million vehicles to be on major highways during the Raya holidays during peak on April 5, 6, 9, 12, 13 and 14 which is a 15% increase from the usual 1.82 million daily traffic volume.

Highway concessionaire Anih Bhd expects some 1.9 million vehicles to use the KL-Karak (KLK) Expressway and about 882,000 travelling on the East Coast Expressway Phase 1 (LPT1) concessionaire during the festive period.

Some 2.4 million vehicles are expected to travel in and out of Penang over the six-day Raya festive period starting from April 8.

Malaysian Road and Transportation Safety Association president MD Hairolazaman Muhamed Nor said drivers and motorcyclists should be aware of broken down or parked vehicles on emergency lanes or road shoulders on highways.

“Motorists should be on the lookout for such stationary vehicles on highways.

“The driver and passengers of the stalled vehicles should step out quickly and take shelter at a safe spot.

“Preferably, they should be behind the steel safety barriers or railings before seeking help,” he said.

Hairolazaman also said that planning one’s journey could help ease difficulties that might arise during emergencies while on the highway.

Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) chairman Prof Dr Wong Shaw Voon said that some cars nowadays have “eCall” feature which their owners may not be aware of.

“The eCall feature will automatically contact emergency responders in the event of a serious road accident including providing GPS coordinates to emergency services,” he said when contacted.

He added that eCall system would likely become a common added safety feature in cars which could prove helpful in the event of a serious crash.

He also advised drivers of stalled vehicles to move their vehicles to a safe area and stay behind the crash barriers while waiting for help to come.

“Some drivers think they will be safer waiting in their stalled vehicles but it is more dangerous,” he added.

PLUS Malaysia Bhd senior general manager of operations Mohd Yusuf Abd Aziz advised motorists to stay updated on traffic flow and plan their travel schedule using the PLUS smartphone application.

“Travel duration would be longer due during the peak periods due to increased traffic.

“Ensure your vehicles are roadworthy for the travel and pull over at rest areas for a break after every two hours of driving,” added Mohd Yusuf.

Road Safety Experts Association and Safety Driving Centre advisor Datuk Suret Singh said motorcyclists, especially those on smaller machines, and drivers of heavy vehicles such as buses and lorries, should keep to the left lane or slow lane at all times while on the highway.

“Motorcyclists riding at night should don luminous safety vests to stay visible to other motorists or they will be courting disaster,” the former Miros chairman added.

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Best Aircon Temperature For Night Sleeping (Updated)

Best Aircon Temperature

In Singapore, the temperature always remains high; humidity never allows you to feel comfortable. In fact, many times, you can’t even sleep properly unless you have an Aircon in your home that can maintain the temperature for you. But if you want to get better sleep at night, you need to get an Aircon temperature at an optimum level.

That also means you need to find the best Aircon temperature for night sleeping. Experts recommend that 25 degrees is the best Aircon temperature for night sleeping and suggest you set your Aircon as well on this temperature.

Sure, you may ask what is so special about 25 degrees centigrade and why this is the best Aircon temperature for night sleeping. If you have these questions, then here is an answer for you.

25 degree temperature at night

Experts researched and found that if you set Aircon temperature between 23 to 24 degrees C and keep the air humidity level at 60 percent or close to that, it will give you a very comfortable environment. At this temperature, your body’s internals neither feels very cold nor does it feel hot.

That means you will have the utmost comfort and help you get a comfortable sleep without any issue. If you keep the temperature lower than this, you would feel cold, and coldness can induce your urination. That means you would have to go to the bathroom again and again for urination, and that would disturb your sleep.

But if you will set your Aircon temperature at 25 degrees C, you would not feel either much cold, or you would have for the urination in a quick time. Other than this, if you get comfortable to sleep, you don’t wake up again and again at night, then you would have a more refreshed condition in the morning, and you would be able to have the much better working capability well in in the next day work. 

Save electricity

Save electricity on aircon

Aircon consume a lot of electricity, and if you can set the Aircon temperature at 25 degrees C, you can save at least 20% money as well in the cooling. Energy experts already proved this fact that if you increase the temperature of AC only by 2 degrees, then it can slash up to 30% electricity bill.

That means reducing the Aircon temperature further than 25 degrees C will not only affect your sleep, but it will affect your pocket as well. So, if you want to have a perfect sleep and don’t want to have a hole in your pocket because of your comfortable sleep, keeping this temperature would be a good idea for you.

In this way, you would not only save money for yourself, but you would save nature as well. That makes it one more reason to set the Aircon temperature at 25 degrees C during your sleep instead of choosing any lower temperature compare to this one.

Lesser load on your aircon

When you run your Aircon at lower temperatures, it will have to work harder to reach that temperature. Most of the Aircon does not take many loads to reach the given temperature, but going any further low than this causes extra load on the Aircon.

Sometimes, the Aircon temperature may not reach there at all, and if it reaches there, it needs to struggle very hard to maintain that temperature. If you set a lower cut off temperature, then your Aircon compressor will keep flipping in on and off situation.

On the other hand, if you set a slightly higher temperature for the Aircon, you would have fewer worries about the cut-off. It will cut off in a good interval, and it will not create any problem for you either.

You don’t have to deal with the cut off the sound and the frequency interval that you may need to face; you set the aircon temperature at a very lower rate. 

Save money on aircon

It will save you money

If you are consuming less electricity during your sleep, then you automatically save money. That is no brainer, and I should not talk about that with you in any manner. But that is not the only way of saving money by setting your

Aircon temperature at a slightly higher position. When you set the temperature at a higher setting, it gets a lesser load the Aircon system problems to your Aircon. You ignore to consider that while using the Aircon, but if you checked it carefully, you would realize how much money you can save just by increasing the Aircon temperature during your sleep.

If we talk about the reasons or benefits that can encourage you to choose this temperature during your sleep instead of choosing a lower one.

Here, some people can also claim that increasing Aircon temperature can affect their sleep as they are habitual to that particular lower temperature. Ideally, it should not make any difference to you in anyways. However, you may have a mental blockage that may restrict you from sleeping properly with a sudden increase in temperature.

If that is the case, then I would suggest you increase the temperature gradually. For example, if you sleep at 18 degrees C temperature, you should not instantly set it to 25. Instead of that, you should first make it 19 degrees for a couple of days.

After that, you can make it 20, then 23, and then 25. If you did that gradually, you would not face any trouble sleeping, and you would be able to get over your mental blockage. 

If we talk about the perfect Aircon temperature to sleep at night, then 25 degrees C is the only suggestion you would get from experts. Some people can also increase this number by one degree, and some can reduce it by one degree. They may have this opinion based on their experience, but this is certain they would remain close to that number, which explains my point as well for the same.

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Malaysia, a magnet for international students

 

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PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has the potential to attract more international students due to its quality education and affordable cost of living.

Malaysian Association of Private Colleges and Universities (Mapcu) president Datuk Parmjit Singh said factors that encourage students to study in Malaysia include the availability of high quality education programmes system delivered by universities with a strong international outlook and well-developed campuses and facilities.

“Tuition fees are relatively lower... (The same goes for the) living cost in Malaysia,” he said, adding that Malaysia also offers a student-friendly social ecosystem to provide the sort of lifestyle sought by international students.

“The tightening of regulations for international students is happening in a few countries, with some mainly due to shortages of accommodation in these countries.

ALSO READ: Growing worry over rising cost of studying overseas

“This does present opportunities for Malaysia to attract those students who are now unable to study in countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada.

“However, factors such as opportunities to work while studying and more inclusive post-study work opportunities – all of which are available to international students in those countries – may need to be enhanced in order to encourage these students to select Malaysia as a preferred alternative destination,” said Parmjit, who is also Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU)chief executive officer (CEO).

Vice-Chancellors’ Council for Private Universities chairman Prof Mushtak Al-Atabi said in order to attract international students to our shores, Malaysia should make itself a more accessible destination.

“There are multiple countries in the region that are competing with Malaysia to be the regional education hub,” said Prof Mushtak, who is also Heriot-Watt University Malaysia provost and CEO.

National Association of Private Educational Institutions secretary-general Dr Teh Choon Jin said it is important for Malaysia to maintain a good reputation in terms of treatment of international students or foreigners in order to entice students to come here.

ALSO READ: INTERACTIVE: How the jobs mismatch may derail Malaysia’s drive to become a high-income nation

“If there is any negative report of ill treatment of foreigners, it may discourage potential international students from pursuing their studies in Malaysia,” he said.

Dr Teh also said these students may face challenges in finding employment opportunities in Malaysia after graduation as there are limited numbers for international graduates, compared to those in countries with more robust job markets.

On the plus side, Malaysia offers great cost savings due to the ringgit’s exchange rate being low compared with countries such as the UK, Australia, Canada and the United States, he added.

Malaysia’s location in South-East Asia with good connectivity to other countries within the region and those beyond the region also makes it an attractive destination to experience Asia, Dr Teh said.

He added that the nation is perceived as a safe country, Muslim-friendly and has a wide variety of food catering to different needs.

“Malaysia has relatively straightforward visa regulations compared to some other countries, making it easier for students to obtain study visas,” said Teh, who is also APU registrar.

Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) CEO Novie Tajuddin said the number of international students coming to Malaysia has been increasing over the years.

He said the principal body that manages the movement of international students in Malaysia, including facilitating visa processing, had received 65,207 applications by the end of 2023.

This is a huge increase compared with 10,453 applications in 2020.

“Malaysia is attractive to international students as (the living cost in the country) is affordable... The people are (also) friendly, and we are advanced in terms of transnational education,” he said when contacted.

“EMGS continues to promote our education, opening the door for new areas, looking into existing policy and working closely with the Higher Education Ministry and to work with other relevant ministries,”

Novie stressed.He also posited that the country could benefit from the tightening of regulations governing international students in other countries such as Canada, Australia and the UK.

Novie highlighted that Malaysia offers a graduate pass for students from 25 countries, including Brunei, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Australia.

This year, he said, China and India were added to the list of countries that offer the pass.

“The graduate pass allows international students to stay for a year after completing their study.

“In this time, they can go on vacation, progress to the next study level or work in Malaysia,” he added.

The graduate pass is a long-term social visit pass that allows holders to gain multiple entries into the country.

The said pass is offered to international graduates who have completed their degree programmes at local universities and other higher education institutes

Source link:.https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/04/10/a-magnet-for-international-students

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