Use of seat belts, helmets pays off

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Despite an increase in accidents last year, the number of fatalities and injuries dropped.
And it is mainly because more people are strapping on their seat belts and putting on helmets. Last year, the death toll in road accidents went down by 50 while the number of those injured was reduced by 1,600 compared with the previous year.
Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research director-general Prof Dr Radin Umar Radin Sohadi said yesterday that the authorities had conducted an intensive awareness programme on the wearing of front and rear seat belts in cars. This helped to reduce injuries and deaths in accidents, he added.
Furthermore, he said the helmet initiative programme by the Road Safety Department in rural areas was bearing fruit as more than 80 per cent of motorcyclists now wear helmets. Previously, the figure was only about 30 per cent.

He also said the other reasons for the drop were:
- Year-round enforcement by the Road Transport Department and police which has increased the probability of errant motorists getting caught from 18 per cent previously to 55 per cent. Enforcement had been intensified to nab reckless car drivers, motorcyclists, and commercial vehicle drivers.
- Reducing accident-prone areas by upgrading roads.
- More buying cars instead of motorcycles. Ownership of motorcycles has dropped since 2006 while car ownership has increased by 10 per cent in the same period.
- More people using public transport to commute to work from Rawang and Seremban to Kuala Lumpur. Those living in the Klang Valley use LRT and Monorail to go to the city centre.
- RM300 on-the-spot fines for those found driving dangerously, including speeding, weaving through traffic and using emergency lanes.
- Checks on express buses and drivers before leaving for their destination. Stringent checks are carried out on brakes, tyres and on the drivers to ensure they are free from alcohol or drugs.

He said that the number of road fatalities and injuries dropped despite the increase in vehicles on the road by an additional one million last year.
According to traffic police, 5,670 people died in road accidents last year compared with 5,720 deaths in 2006. The number of accidents, however, went up from 341,000 to 363,000 within the same period.