Asean NCAP secretary-general Khairil Anwar Abu Kassim said weak enforcement of current regulations had been cited by various road safety authorities as one of the reasons why there had been little improvement in achieving safer roads.
“Some of the findings of accident investigations involving heavy vehicles revealed that human error, poor compliance to road regulations, insufficient street lights and warning signs along highways and lack of proper vehicle approval and inspection were some of the factors contributing to road accidents.
“Policies and regulations implemented will be pointless without strict enforcement and proper execution. If we continue with business as usual, our forecast tells us that overall road fatalities will increase to 10,000 in 2020,” he said in a statement here today.
Therefore, he stressed that, stronger collaboration between all parties is vital to ensure safer roads for users.
He pointed out that, by getting everyone to adhere to road safety regulations, he believed that a 50 per cent reduction in road accident fatalities was achievable.
Meanwhile, managing director of Volvo Malaysia, Mats Nilsson said, the goal of safe roads should not be the effort of just one organisation.
“Drivers have an important role to play and our ongoing driver development programme is designed to certify and develop fully competent drivers, by equipping them with the knowledge about safety and fuel saving driving techniques,” he said,
He said Volvo Malaysia had also collaborated with both the public sector and educational bodies to advocate awareness on the importance of road safety.
— BERNAMA