TMM,Monday 1 November, 2010
The ‘3Es’ – education, engineering and enforcement – have not halted traffic accidents. It’s time for a new, hasher ‘example’ to be set upon offenders
Letter of the week
The winner receives a dining voucher worth RM100 from Nando’s
I am alarmed at your report “Bus driver addicts” and wish to share my long-held views to promote road safety.
The experts tell us that education, engineering and enforcement, known as the 3Es, are the main factors that determine road safety.
We have heard the need for new drivers to undergo proper training at driving schools and commercial vehicle drivers to hone their skills in defensive driving.
Schools conduct road safety exercises and colleges and universities should also do the same. However, campaigns to educate the public, such as jaywalking, are so rare that many are not aware that it is an offence.
Several years ago, the police were overzealous, hauled up people jaywalking between Sungei Wang Plaza and Lot 10, including tourists, who felt victimised as they merely copied what the locals do.
Little is known on the education received by the authorities and those who are involved in the engineering aspects of road safety.
For example, trees may be safely planted by the roadside or on broad road dividers, provided guardrails are placed to prevent vehicles from smashing onto the tree trunks, which have often proved fatal.
The first row of seats in a bus offers a majestic view but those seated there can be turned into human cannonballs if no safety belts are provided or fastened.
If such obvious dangers can be overlooked by the authorities, then it is easy to understand, for years, flimsy bus bodies were allowed to be built on top of lorry chassis and run as public buses.
Unlike strong monoque buses that are constructed just like cars, the body of these locally-built vehicles collapse on impact resulting in high casualties.
On this score, even the global automobile industry is negligent for not providing an additional passive safety feature which costs only a few ringgit for an additional piece of wire to connect the horns to the headlights.
When driving and sensing danger ahead, drivers would first sound the horn and hope that the other motorist(s) or pedestrian(s) would take corrective actions.
If the other party fails to respond, drivers would either brake or swerve or do both to avoid a collision. However, the difference between an accident and a near-miss is often a split-second.
As such, activating the headlights to flash automatically when the horns are pressed can prevent many accidents and save countless lives.
This is especially true when the other party is in a noisy environment, such as having the car stereo at full blast, or the pedestrian is on a busy street. Some people can be deaf or be indifferent to warning sounds.
A condenser can be added to the more expensive models which will allow the headlights to flash intermittently and would be particularly effective on rainy nights.
Even the minimal enforcement done has unearthed some alarming statistics. In one exercise in Terengganu, large numbers of motorists were found to have expired driving licences or never had any licence at all.
The government may have made third party insurance cover for motor vehicles mandatory but aggrieved parties may find insurers repudiating insurance policies when accidents are caused by unlicensed motorists.
I feel that a fourth ‘E’ should be added to the equation and that is ‘Example’. We all know that people, especially children, learn more through copying than being told.
Similarly for new drivers, however well trained, will throw out the window what they have learned immediately after getting their driving licence.
In order to prove their skills and to blend in with the traffic, they quickly imitate what other motorists do. Unfortunately, just like in life, many picked up more of the bad points than the good.
‘Example’ is such a powerful factor that it is well known that Malaysians behave like Singaporeans in Singapore and vice versa and this includes driving.
As such, more thoughts and efforts should go into inculcating and promoting good drivers. For example, there should be a central pool for drivers of express and tour buses to do background checks.
As it is, these drivers can easily get away with their indiscipline by switching companies as there are large number of express and tour bus operators in the market.
Many are small and not professionally run, and together with some dubious drivers, nasty accidents are bound to happen from time to time at the expense of the public.
The 3Es have been discussed and debated for many years but to no avail. It is time to make an example of good or bad operators and drivers.
The authorities should compile and release monthly statistics on action taken against errant drivers. As for irresponsible transport operators, their names are to be listed for public view together with the offences committed.
The public should not be starved of good news either. We would be happy to read about good operators and drivers being recognised and if they are rewarded would certainly warm the cockles of our hearts.
YS Chan
Kuala Lumpur
On 14 December 2010, The Sun published a front-page report entitled “Risky bus rides” that 80% of the more than 40,000 buses on the road may not meet approved safety standards.
Road Transport Department head of automotive engineering Mohamad Dalib was referring to the United Nations Economic Commissions Europe (UNECE) R66 vehicle safety regulation adopted by Malaysia in 2007.
It is a safety standard for the manufacturing of the bus body as a whole unit, not as sub-components which are welded to each other.
On the same day, the page 3 article was on “Good, bad and ugly in the driver’s seat: Busman”.
Konsortium Transnasional Bhd executive director Tengku Hasmadi Tengku Hisham confirmed that dismissed bus drivers can easily find jobs among the 250 express bus operators.
No comments:
Post a Comment