Sign of caution.

What does this 'P' driving sticker truly mean? Yes, we all know it means 'Probational Driver' in Malaysia which you need to stick it on the front and back of your windscreen so that it projects high visibility to other road users. But really, what does it mean?


Is this merely a sign to signal other 'unfriendly' road users to be patient and give way? Or is it to tell other drivers that there is a newbie on the road. And the newbie, sometimes becomes the unruly one for various incomprehensible show off factors, which we need to beware of? You won't believe how much power men (or women) wield when they get behind the wheels. Which reminds me of an insight we discovered a couple of years ago when pitching for the Ministry of Transport. When people get behind wheels, they morph into different beings. Cold, impatient, rude, spiteful and they can even speak French when provoked (a different kind of French that is). Can't imagine that being your girl-next-door colleague, or your kids-hugging-wife-kissing dad, right? Yea, we all morph into horrible beings when behind wheels. You and I.

Someone told me that her mom puts the P sticker on even when she doesn't need to because she thinks it's 'safer'. What other meanings can we find in this sticker which is unintended but significant? Is it really safer when we see a P driver? Safer to whom? Or is the letter P another lame excuse for lame driving skills? Speaking of having stickers to signal caution to other drivers, Japan has a special one for elderly drivers who are 70 and above (70, if I'm not mistaken). Can we adopt something similar here? Can we have different stickers to signal different sort of drivers behind wheels such as the elderly, the handicapped, the pregnant, etc? Sharing more specific information like this, would it help people to change their expectations, attitude and behavior when they see different sort of stickers? Well, I think helping people to be more aware of the surroundings simply helps them to react better. No?