IN an effort to reduce road accidents and fatalities as well as foster greater road safety awareness amongst road users, Persatuan Insurans Am Malaysia (PIAM) and the Malaysian Takaful Association (MTA) have jointly kickstarted the year-long PIAM-MTA 2022 Nationwide Road Safety Campaign.
The campaign, themed "#steadybrader", hopes to educate and promote safe driving behaviour while encouraging road users to remain steady when riding or driving vehicles.
With the campaign, both PIAM and MTA hope that road accidents and fatalities will be significantly reduced amidst the nation's attention and focus on battling the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Globally, according to the World Health Organisation, on average 1.25 million people perish every year due to road accidents. It is also the number one cause of death among youths aged between 15-29 years," says PIAM chairman, Antony Lee.
By 2030, WHO predicts that road traffic injuries will rise to become the fifth leading cause of death, after heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic pulmonary disease and lower respiratory infections.
Road accidents remain high in Malaysia, according to statistics from the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM). In 2019, a total of 6,167 fatalities occurred due to road accidents. This amounts to about 17 fatalities per day due to road accidents.
According to the Ministry of Transport, more than 80 per cent of road accidents are due to negligence.
"Human negligence is one of the main contributors to road accidents. This includes offences such as driving above speed limits, driving against traffic and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs," says Road Transport Department director of enforcement division, Datuk Lokman Jamaan.
During the year-long Campaign, PIAM and MTA have lined up a long series of activities which include:
* Sustained awareness of road safety programmes vide digital media;
* Road safety educational quiz series;
* Community outreach initiatives using gamification;
* Various collaborative programmes with government agencies and companies who share a similar hope and vision for safer roads.
