06/07/2025

theSunday Special XV ON SUNDAY JULY 6, 2025

Dashboard camera may be our saviour

that cost pays a significant role in this. If there was a revamp, the trainer’s will need to be retrained, and this means incurring extra cost which will then have to be transferred to the rakyat . And this will make the government very unpopu lar. But what if a programme was intro duced where for 30 minutes, every new student who inspires to have a license, has to watch a series of dash cam videos showing what happens when things go bad on the road. There are already plenty of these vid eos on the internet anyway. Someone just has to compile them. And because almost everyone already has a smartphone, driving schools don’t even have to worry about acquiring a projector or a large TV for their class rooms. Just send a WhatsApp link and have them watch these videos and make it part of their theory lesson? There’s mini mal cost, all it needs is effort. It is simple to plan, simple to execute, cost effective and can be introduced in weeks – all it needs is political will. And finally, I recently read an article on a fairly popular Malaysian news website that ridiculed an idea mooted by our transport minister. Anthony Loke had recently encour aged road users to use their smart devices, either their phone or dash cam,

to capture traffic offenders and report them to the authorities. This idea was ridiculed on this news portal and made to look as if the Transport Ministry was transferring their responsibility to us, the regular Joe Public. I think Loke has a point. A very good idea in fact. Everyone has smart phones and dash cams anyway. He is not telling us to go out and buy new devices to help the authorities, he is just saying that in the event we catch anything on our devices, that footage can be used to report offenders to the authorities and this in turn can be used to nab the perpetrators. I think it’s brilliant. A lot of us have dash cams installed and have recording devices in our pockets anyway. In fact, I suggest taking it a step further. Introduce a system where we regular Malaysians be given a commission for every fine that is given out through our captured footage. This effectively priva tises traffic enforcement and allow regu lar Malaysians to get a small percentage of traffic tickets. Then watch how drastically traffic offences drop once regular offenders start realising that the guy next to him is just waiting for him to make a mistake. Our roads will be safer quicker than any new policy. Of course there will be some wrinkles to iron out, but I believe it can be done.

THE humble dash board camera, com monly known as a dash cam, is a device that we may take for granted these days, but it has its uses. There was a time when only the tech nologically savvy

seems to be futile. I write about road safety on a near weekly basis. It is something that I am deeply passionate about as the day will soon come when I have to let my kids out into the wild Malaysian roads. So, besides equipping them with the know how needed to survive on our roads, I am hoping that this will influence others as well. Particularly this humble article might reach the higher ups in their ivory towers. Road safety is something that needs to be engrained from young – pre-school preferably. My nephew who lives in Australia was just three years old when he started to make sure everyone in the car wears seatbelts every time he visits Malaysia. This is obviously something to do with the system in Australia. Road safety is something that is taught when young and enforcement is on a level we can only dream of at the moment. Over there, you don’t only get a fine if your child is not in a baby seat when in the car, but you risk having the social services department visiting your home to see if you’re fit enough to raise a child. Anyway, back to Malaysia. I often write about how our driver training programme needs an update as well. I understand

WRITTEN BY KESHY DHILLON

would have them in their cars, but now, almost everyone has it. But where did it all start? Some say that the Russians started it first in the late 2000s. It was used to fight insurance fraud, police corruption, cap ture road rage accidents, but the one thing that made it a must have in Russia is the Chelyabinsk Meteor. Captured in 2013, the falling meteor became a viral sensation in the country. And this skyrocketed the dash cam into a must have device in cars. But dash cams have more use to them than simply helping insurance companies capture fraud and combating crime on roads. We can all learn from them too. Road safety has been a hot topic in Malaysia. In fact it has been a bit of a wild goose chase. Everyone knows that our roads are unsafe, yet the nations efforts

Big boost for Emkoo WTC AUTOMOTIF SDN BHD (WTCA), the official distributor of GAC vehicles in Malaysia, has achieved a major milestone with the start of mass production for its second locally assem bled model, the GAC Emkoo. WTC Automotif rolls out locally assembled SUV The move also signifies WTCA’s grow ing capability in meeting global automo tive standards through local operations. A ceremony to commemorate the start of production was held at the Segambut plant, where key executives from both WTCA and GAC International were in attendance.

SUV market, noting its futuristic design, cutting-edge safety technologies, and high-performance engineering. According to Ye, the Emkoo reflects GAC’s broader strategy to deepen its presence in local markets by committing to long-term localisation efforts in key regions like Malaysia. The GAC Emkoo is scheduled to make its official debut in the Malaysian market in the third quarter of 2025. Positioned within the mid-size SUV category, the Emkoo promises to bring a bold, intelligent design language to the segment, aligning with modern consumer expectations. With its second CKD model now in full-scale production, WTCA reinforces its role in supporting Malaysia’s automo tive localisation goals while maintaining a strong focus on quality, innovation, and sustainable growth.

Tan highlighted the significance of the moment, stating that entering mass pro duction with the Emkoo represents a new chapter for WTCA’s local CKD opera tions. He emphasised that the production of the new model demonstrates the com pany’s ability to meet international qual ity standards while assembling vehicles domestically. Tan added that the Emkoo showcases WTCA and GAC’s joint mission to deliver advanced, design-forward vehicles to Malaysian consumers with greater speed and efficiency. Echoing that sentiment, Ye of GAC International remarked that the success of the Emkoo’s SOP was a testament to the strong partnership between the two organisations. He expressed conofidence that the new model would raise the bar in Malaysia’s

The production rollout took place at WTCA’s assembly plant in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur, marking a key step for ward in the brand’s localisation journey. The launch of Emkoo production reflects the strengthening of technical col laboration between WTCA and GAC International. It follows the successful local assembly of the GAC GS3 Emkoo last year and underscores both parties’ shared ambi tion to scale up high-quality automotive manufacturing in Malaysia.

WTCA was represented by CEO Tan Keng Meng, COO of Business Operation Yap Yoke Moi, and COO of Commercial Loh Ling Howe. GAC International was represented by Vice General Manager Ye Shao Jian, alongside Li JianLu, Director of the Technical Centrer, and KD Project Manager Carrie Liu. A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the formal commence ment of the Emkoo’s production.