Road Survival Skills: 15 Must-Have Safety Items In Your Car

Soroptimist International Ipoh organised a community event for Ipoh folks with an informative talk on road survival skills. The talk was conducted by Malaysian safety activist, Vol. Capt. K Balasupramaniam.

Eventhough the talk was serious and visuals shown gruesome, Capt. Bala managed to keep the mood light-hearted and lively.

Injecting humour to this life-and-death topic of road accidents and fatalities, off and on, had managed to help attendees absorb the information better.

Although many of us think that this is knowledge that may not be used, at least, we are well-equipped when faced with a bad situation while on the road.

Capt. Bala shared his knowledge on various scenarios like:
1) What to do when pinned in a car after an accident?
2) What to do when the windscreen of your car shatters while on the road?
3) Where to stash your handbag in the car?
4) How to extinguish a vehicle fire?
5) What to do in the event of a tyre-burst?
6) What to do if you are being tailed?
7) How to escape speed trap (AES)?

He also shared with us a checklist of important safety items to keep in the car that may come in handy in a road emergency. They are:

1) Car repair kit
2) First aid kit (pillow-type)
3) Fire extinguisher – SIRIM-approved (in Malaysia) and at least 1kg canister
4) Three 1.5L bottles of mineral water
5) White towel stored in a bolster case
6) Life hammer
7) T-shirt (white or yellow in colour)
8) Three reflective cones
9) Reflective vest
10) Car jack
11) Masking tape (Apollo brand)
12) Torchlight (not too bright)
13) Wound plaster (eg. Handiplast)
14) Jumper cable (buy from car battery shop)
15) Poncho

And I would like to add two more items to his list:
16) Industrial goggles
17) Gloves (thick, preferably leather)

In Malaysia, statistics have recorded 19 road deaths daily. In a road emergency, especially a fire, time is the greatest enemy. Four main causes of vehicle fire are: crash, friction, overheating and poor wiring/cabling. As such, Capt. Bala doesn’t condone the modification of cars.

Generally, this talk on Road Survival Skills drove home the importance of safety knowledge, and why a driver must have full concentration on the road.

If you have missed this talk, I highly encourage you to attend any of Capt. Bala’s lectures, which are held regularly in Malaysia, usually organised by the many NGOs, for free or at a minimal cover charge.

Capt. Bala also conducts trainings for the following programmes:

– City Survival Training
– REACT Programme
– Road Survival Training
– Fire Safety & Survival Training
– Advance Bikers Survival Programme
– Emergency first aid survival training and emergency first aid at work
– Emergency Evacuation Training
– Tactical Fire Operation Training
– ERT Training
– HALS/EMT -B Certificate Programme
– Urban SRR Operation Training
– Flood Survival & Evacuation Programme
– High Angle Rescue Recovery Training
– Emergency Bike/ Vehicle Driving Course
– Fire Extinguisher Practical Programme

This July 14, Capt. Bala will be conducting a Women’s Street Crime Awareness Programme at the Great Eastern Mall along Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is free-of-charge and open to women only.

Contact Capt. K. Bala at:
Add: 32, Jalan Wirawati 6, Taman Maluri, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Tel: +603-92001994
Fax: +603-92006995
Email: Capt.K.Bala@gmail.com
Blog: captkbala.blogspot.com
Facebook: K Bala Supramanian

Event: Road Survival Skills Programme
Venue: Impiana Hotel Ipoh
Date: 7th July, 2013
Time: 2pm – 5.30pm

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