CAP: Fatalities at unacceptable level
Published: Sep 19, 2005 5:16 PM | Updated: Jan 29, 2008 6:21 PM
A Royal Commission of Inquiry should be set up to probe the reasons for the increasing number of road accidents and fatalities on Malaysian roads, said Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) president SM Mohd Idris.
A Royal Commission of Inquiry should be set up to probe the reasons for the increasing number of road accidents and fatalities on Malaysian roads, said Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) president SM Mohd Idris.
"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," he said in a statement today.
The commission, he said, should take into consideration preventive measures such as establishing a full time road safety agency to implement well-researched and targeted plans.
Idris was responding to press reports on road accidents since last year and focused in particular on today's reports on the death of seven people in a horrific accident in Penang.
The driver of a car heading towards the Penang Bridge lost control of the vehicle and rammed into a police road block. Those who died were the driver, two of the three passengers, three policemen and a motorcyclist being checked at the roadblock.
There were 326,817 road accidents and 6,223 fatalities last year, according to Idris.
He cited several factors in accidents including reckless driving, defective vehicles, badly designed vehicles and quality of materials used in manufacturing vehicles.
Mandatory standards
Mohd Idris suggested mandatory safety standards for vehicles and that an agency be created to test cars sold in Malaysia for crash-worthiness and safety.
"In (some) countries, cars are regularly tested for defects and strict penalties are imposed on companies which do not comply with standards designed to protect consumers," he noted.
In addition, he said defensive driving techniques must be designed to teach drivers "to identify risk factors with proper anticipation to avoid accidents".
Safety aspects of transport legislation should be reviewed to ensure that every facet of the vehicle is properly addressed.
"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," he added.
"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," he said in a statement today. The commission, he said, should take into consideration preventive measures such as establishing a full time road safety agency to implement well-researched and targeted plans.
Idris was responding to press reports on road accidents since last year and focused in particular on today's reports on the death of seven people in a horrific accident in Penang.
The driver of a car heading towards the Penang Bridge lost control of the vehicle and rammed into a police road block. Those who died were the driver, two of the three passengers, three policemen and a motorcyclist being checked at the roadblock.
There were 326,817 road accidents and 6,223 fatalities last year, according to Idris.
He cited several factors in accidents including reckless driving, defective vehicles, badly designed vehicles and quality of materials used in manufacturing vehicles.
Mandatory standards
Mohd Idris suggested mandatory safety standards for vehicles and that an agency be created to test cars sold in Malaysia for crash-worthiness and safety.
"In (some) countries, cars are regularly tested for defects and strict penalties are imposed on companies which do not comply with standards designed to protect consumers," he noted.
In addition, he said defensive driving techniques must be designed to teach drivers "to identify risk factors with proper anticipation to avoid accidents".
Safety aspects of transport legislation should be reviewed to ensure that every facet of the vehicle is properly addressed.
"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," he added.
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