By Dr Krishnan Rajam

I read with sorrow news of the death of a policeman who died while chasing a drug addict on a motorcycle in Penang recently.

Have we become immune to the news of road traffic deaths (though eminently preventable) in this country?

Motorcycle deaths continue to account for about 60% of the 7,000 or so (pre-COVID) total road deaths.

Malaysia has one of the highest road deaths per 100,000 population in the Western Pacific Region according to the WHO Global Status Reports on Road Safety.

The author had the opportunity to work for WHO in collecting data for these reports.

Some countries in the region (like Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand) have had success in reducing the number of road traffic injuries and deaths over the last few decades, despite a steadily increasing population and corresponding increasing number of vehicles on the road.

Lessons learned from these countries can be summarized below.

The first tenet of road safety is effective implementation of land use policies to limit and reduce transportation needs. This means the planning of self-sufficient residential areas with adequate access to shopping, school and recreational facilities. We all understand this easily with the example of reduced traffic congestion during school breaks.

The second principle of road safety is the provision of adequate public transportation, not just in the cities but throughout the country, especially in the smaller cities and towns.

While all families aspire for private vehicle ownership, the availability of an efficient and cost-effective public transportation will encourage its usage among the low and middle income groups.

Public transportation is much safer than private transport (especially motorcycles) and has a positive impact on the environment.

The third principle is the enforcement of existing safety laws, especially those which have been proven to be effective.

The implementation of this strategy requires "zero" cost as it requires compliance with legislation. These include proper use of personal protective devices such as certified helmets, seat belts (both in front and rear seats) and child restraints; use of existing sidewalks and crossings by pedestrians; enforcing drinking and driving laws and speed limits; and being visible on the roads (for pedestrians and motorcyclists). These are the "low hanging fruits of road safety".

Education alone does not work in the field of road safety and has to be combined with enforcement (the "sugar" in the bitter medicine of enforcement).

The education level of the public has nothing to do with compliance with safety laws. The author had difficulty in convincing all residents in a university campus to follow road safety laws!

The fourth important principle is strengthening of intersectoral cooperation and coordination of the many agencies involved in road safety.

The government recently integrated the functions of the Road Safety Department into the Road Transport Department. Should the Road Safety Department (with branches in every state) been set up in the first place?

Finally, the universities have a role to play in research and capacity building.

While the government funds the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), other academic institutions should collaborate with local communities, MIROS and each other to carry out applied research in the areas mentioned above, like compliance with safety laws.

The recent decrease in the number of road deaths due to the pandemic should be seen as an opportune moment to re-examine our opportunities to renew our commitment to road safety.

(Dr Krishnan Rajam is Senior Professor, AIMST University Kedah and former Technical Officer (Injury Prevention) Western Pacific Regional Office, World Health Organization.)