DECEMBER 27 — In Peninsular Malaysia, a person loses their life on the roads every hour. The recent report from Sarawak’s Deputy Police Commissioner brings this crisis into sharp focus, highlighting an urgent need for reform. While I’ve previously advocated for revamping driver education on Malay Mail, the persistent rise in road fatalities signifies that our efforts must intensify. While the government’s new licensing approach aims to simplify the process of obtaining a licence, it must not overlook its responsibilities in ensuring that new drivers are competent, safe, and responsible in order to prevent a further escalation of the crisis.

Despite having road quality that surpasses Norway and the UK, Malaysia’s roads are considered far less safe. One major reason for this lies in the percentage of Malaysians using seat belts. At least 95% of drivers in Norway and the UK wear seatbelts while in Malaysia, it is shockingly low at only 48%. It does not matter if Malaysia’s road conditions or car safety ratings are the highest in the world if there are not enough drivers using a seatbelt! This phenomenon of poor driver behaviour is a significant factor in the amount of people that die on the roads.

However, it does not stop there. From 2021 to August 2023, Malaysia recorded 1.2 million accidents, with 13,516 deaths caused by driver carelessness. According to the Police Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department, the majority of accidents were caused by tailgating and a lack of driver awareness. For policymakers, this must be taken as an immediate call to action. We are rightly concerned about our nation’s health in terms of diet and exercise, but we seem to neglect the lethal risks that our citizens face every time they get behind the wheel.

While Malaysia grapples with various factors contributing to road accidents, including road conditions and enforcement measures, it’s evident that driver education remains the most overlooked aspect. Addressing this is not a silver bullet, but it is an undeniable step in the right direction towards ensuring safer roads.

This isn’t merely a national issue; it’s a challenge that resonates on a global scale, intersecting directly with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Reducing road fatalities contributes to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), aiming to halve global road traffic deaths

(Indicator 3.6.1), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), which seeks to enhance road safety (Indicator 11.2.1). Additionally, we must abide by pre-existing commitments such as the ASEAN Declaration on Road Safety and the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. By strengthening our approach to driver education, Malaysia can fulfil these commitments, setting a precedent for safety and sustainability.

To chart a safer and more sustainable future, Malaysia must:

1. Integrate Global Best Practices: Adapt successful international models to our context. Countries like Norway, the UK, and Japan have seen remarkable successes by enforcing rigorous driver education and testing.

2. Elevate Driver Education Standards: Amend the curriculum to cultivate a deep understanding of road safety, emphasising the critical role of responsible driving behaviours.

3. Ensure Rigorous Licensing: While streamlining the process, we must ensure every driver is thoroughly prepared, integrating practices that instil discipline and awareness.

4. Regular Policy Evaluation: Continually assess and refine our strategies in response to new data and evolving circumstances.

In our country, a significant amount of research into road safety already exists - particularly from the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS). It is not completely necessary to find experts from abroad to consult for us. Instead, there are brilliant local researchers and practitioners that are in tune with our uniquely Malaysian driving environment that are willing to contribute toward combating this public health crisis. It is high time for the government to take a step back and reevaluate its strategy in reducing road accidents. Once again, I take this opportunity to invite policymakers to explore Bait Al Amanah’s policy brief on this issue on what can be done to improve our Driver’s Education Curriculum.

The grim reality is that road accidents in Malaysia claim more lives annually than diseases like diabetes. This stark comparison underscores the gravity of this public health crisis and the pressing need for action. Our journey toward safer roads is not just a policy challenge; it’s a moral obligation. As we ponder the future, let us not shy away from the bold and necessary steps needed to transform our road safety landscape. The all-too-common reckless and careless driving on our roads must be addressed through a multi-pronged long-term strategy — including taking a fresh look at the state of our Driver’s Education Curriculum. The question remains: Will we collaborate and rise to the challenge, or will we continue to accept these preventable losses as the status quo?

* Karisma Putera Abd Rahman is a Research & Advocacy Analyst at Bait Al Amanah. Bait Al Amanah is an independent and neutral research institute that holds the responsibility of conducting studies and research to provide valuable and in-depth insights regarding governance and democracy, economics, security, and issues of national importance.

**This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.