Do you think Malaysians lack road safety awareness? Or do we simply not care? Would new campaigns and a new mandatory curriculum in schools result in safer drivers in the generation to come? Guess it couldn't hurt.
That’s the view of Parti Bangsa Malaysia according to its senior vice-president Steven Choong Shiau Yoon, communicated to to the media. He said that too many lives have been lost on Malaysia’s roads and this issue required a much more comprehensive solution to properly solve.
The authorities have, for the most part, been asleep at the wheel – or so goes PBM’s sentiment about the handling of road deaths over the past few years, citing the emergence of a worrying pattern of preventable accidents such as those caused by bus and trailer drivers with many past offences. Yet they are still allowed to drive.
Road safety – taught in school
In a statement, Choong said: “Therefore strict enforcement of speed limits must be imposed, coupled with heavier penalties, and introducing mandatory tamper-proof speed controllers for all heavy vehicles,”
“Malaysians should stop treating our roads and highways as race tracks and everyone needs to play their role towards a safer environment for all. There is a drastic need for a change of attitude and, as mentioned above, this needs to start at a very tender age,”
“The fact is a majority of these road accidents are caused by human error as pointed out by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros). These include speeding, changing lanes with no signal, running red lights, and mobile phone usage while driving.”
Clearly such a sweeping change to curb such light offences such as ‘speeding’ or ‘changing lanes with no signal’ will take drastic action and will likely be met with public resistance as they are only found to be dangerous in the context of a specific situation and don’t cause accidents in and of themselves.
He also added that road safety education and the inculcation of the importance of good driving practices should be a priority for parents and teachers alike, hinting at a motion to add such things to lesson plans in public schools.
More presently, PBM’s next move is to write a formal letter expressing their concerns and views on how to surmount this problem to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong while also seeking a follow-up appointment to speak with him on this matter directly.