In 2001, an average of 16 people died every day as a result in road accidents. Of 11,302,545 registered vehicles, there were 265,175 road accidents which killed 5,849 people in 2001. The total number of accidents rose last year (2004) to 326,817 with a total 6,223 fatalities.
The so called 'horror Crash' in Penang and several others in the other parts of the country yesterday have left families distraught and many speechless.
The high fatality rate of road users in the country is very disturbing and makes it imperative for the government to act swiftly and without any compromise.
The government should immediately set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the actual reasons for the escalating number of road accidents and deaths on Malaysian roads daily.
The fact that every year about 6,000 people die due to road accidents is totally unacceptable. It reflects very poorly on the relevant authorities.
What good would it do if this country had excellent roads and fly-overs and expressway of world class standard and yet a records of an average of about 17 deaths due to road accidents daily?
Many factors have been identified as the possible causes for this sad scenario, the most common being the 'human factor' with reckless driving being one example.
The authorities should also not rule out the possibility of defective vehicles as a probable cause.
We do not have mandatory safety standards for vehicles. This has resulted in the use of certain models of vehicles which have been recalled overseas.
Another contributing factor could be badly designed vehicles. These vehicles are dangerous as they are not made to protect passengers in an accident.
The quality of materials used in the manufacturing of vehicles also play an important role in protecting passengers.
In countries abroad, cars are regularly tested for their defects and strict penalties are imposed on companies which do not comply to standards designed to protect consumers.
Malaysia should set up a body like the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to test cars sold in Malaysia for crash-worthiness and safety.
Amongst some of the measures that the Royal Commission of Inquiry should take into consideration and include are:
1. Setting up of a full time Road Safety Agency to implement well-researched and targeted plans. The agency should establish regional and local centers/committees to coordinate activities at these levels. The agency needs to be supported by full-time researchers.
2. Defensive driving defensive driving techniques must be designed to teach drivers to identify risk factors with proper anticipation to avoid accidents. Motorists must be taught how to deal with possible scenarios when driving in order to have the ability to make correct judgements in routine driving. Lessons on knowing the characteristics of the vehicle and how to handle it in response to an emergency must be taught before driving licences are issued.
3. Road safety education in schools road safety must be taught throughout school years to create awareness of the many risks of road use.
4. Road safety programmes longer term and well-planned multifaceted programmes on all aspect of road safety must be drawn out and implemented continuously and at all stages in society combined with media education and community participation and not just sporadic campaigns during festive seasons. The Ministry of Information must ban all advertisements that encourage reckless and fast driving. Road safety programmes must be enhanced with enforcement.
5. Legislation transport safety-related legislation should be reviewed to ensure that every facet of vehicle and road safety is properly addressed.
6. Safety regulations agency a safety regulations agency should be established to carry out crash investigations, analyse accidents, conduct investigations into safety defects, order recalls, develop new safety technologies and conduct all necessary safety programmes. All the findings and research that are produced by the agency should be made available to the public.
7. Road safety auditing road safety auditing must be carried out efficiently and stringently to ensure that safety standards are met. All-encompassing planning should be carried out, which must be anticipate and overcome in advance all limitations that would obstruct the construction of a safe road. To ensure that cost limitations do not influence the adherence to road safety auditing demands, an objective cost analysis of the road project should be carried out.
8. Analyses of accident areas black-spot locations should be diagnosed, and accident analyses carried out through thorough and comprehensive crash investigations, and counter-measures should be implemented.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry should also look into ways the government could improve the present public transport system which is in an atrocious state.
The writer is the president of the Consumers Association of Penang.
