Abdul Ghafar (left) and Bedui (second right) put helmets on participants of the Road Safety Awareness Programme. — Photo by Jeffrey Mostapa
KUCHING: Youths between the ages of 16 and 25 contribute to one-third of road accident fatalities in the country.
According to Road Safety Department (JKJR) Malaysia director-general Abdul Ghafar Yusof, about 18 to 19 deaths from such accidents happened daily while 6,000 to 7,000 lives were lost due to road accidents in the country each year.
“Based on statistics last year, the number of deaths caused by road accidents was 6,674,” he said at the Batu Lintang Teachers’ Teaching Institute’s Road Safety Awareness Programme held at the Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce Auditorium yesterday.
Abdul Ghafar also said if road safety awareness programmes were not organised, 8,760 deaths from road accidents might occur this year and the figure would increase to 10,716 by 2020.
“Therefore, if we were to assume that this situation will improve by itself without any intervention or introduction of additional programme, the number of deaths caused by road accidents will increase by 56 per cent between 2010 and 2020.”
He said the Batu Lintang Teachers’ Teaching Institute’s Road Safety Awareness Programme was an initiative of JKJR Sarawak together with the police, Road Transport Department (JPJ), Puspakom and Sarawak Shell Berhad to strengthen the awareness of road safety among trainee teachers as part of preparation to implement the Road Safety Education module at schools.
“IPG plays an important role in education and in disciplining trainee teachers and students so that they become courteous road users.”
JKJR Sarawak director Davina Agnes Enteli and Batu Lintang IPG director Bedui Une were also present at the function.