Zamry (front, fourth left) delivers a brief speech as (from second left) Deshon, Suhaili, Michael and others listen.
SARIKEI: The local police are focusing on checking human errors during the two-week road safety campaign in conjunction with Chinese New Year celebration, which kicked off last Saturday.
Road blocks are set up at various locations to remind road users about the importance of positive attitude while driving as well as keeping their vehicles in tip-top condition, deputy Sarikei District police chief, DSP Zamry Ali told reporters after the launch of a road safety campaign conducted by Lebuhraya Borneo Utara Sdn Bhd at Jalan Bulat junction here yesterday.
He described it as a ‘snap roadblock’ and not static as it would be set up at different locations during the two-week period.
“ We are checking the condition of vehicles such as the tyres, brakes, signal lights, and other aspects as we believe that the main cause of accidents boils down to the attitude of drivers or human errors,” he stressed.
Police would pay special attention to the stretch between Bukit Sebangkoi and Bulat junction or KM421 to KM427 Betong-Sarikei Road, which has been identified as an accident-prone area or a ‘black spot’ in Sarikei District, he said.
On accident statistics, Zamry said that he was glad to note that the number of accidents recorded a drop by 27 cases, from 652 cases in 2016 to 625 last year.
Fatal accidents also dropped from 20 in 2016 to 12 last year, he said, while expressing hope that the figure would continue to drop this year.
Cars topped the accident statistics with 353 cases followed by four-wheel drive vehicles (147); motorcycles below 251cc (63); while lorries, vans and lorry trailers made up the rest, he said.