Signal

If I were being asked to give an advice to foreigners planning to drive in KL, I would have advised them to be extra cautious in the usage of signal. Signal prior to changing lanes or directions are not advisable. As a matter of fact, one should just assume that the signal light isn’t working at all. This advice is recommended by someone who has been driving more than ten years overseas and in KL.

The point of signaling, after all, is to ‘signal’ to adjacent drivers of your intention, therefore not do anything abnormal that could lead to unwanted results. In KL, however, once a driver ‘signal’ his intention, the adjacent drivers (or motorbike riders) will some how feel that their territory are being threaten (like a dog’s natural reaction when another dog pee at their grounds). As a result, they will accelerate (even the motorbikes) or change to the lane before you do. If you were to proceed changing lane after your signal like what you do in overseas, the end results will be disasters. On the contrary, if you don’t signal before you change lane, you will find it a lot easier. The adjacent drivers will not be offended because you did not give them enough time to react and they will be able to ‘forgive’ themselves for not defending their territory. And this is how it is done in KL.