KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 (Bernama) – Op Selamat has been deemed successful in reducing the rate of road accidents every time it is held, yet the public should consider using public transportation which is safer, said Safe Kids Malaysia executive director and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Department of Community Health, Assoc Prof Dr Kulanthayan KC Mani.
He said road users need to work together to minimise deaths, adding that “first of all, it would be better if they started using public transport for long-distance travel. It is quite safe compared to private transport. Secondly, for those driving cars, your speed needs to be decreased.”
With lower speed, there’s greater control of the vehicle and accidents can be reduced, lessening casualties, he said while on Bernama News Channel’s “Ruang Bicara” programme last night.
He said that even though all kinds of initiatives have been launched, public transport is still the safest mode of transport, adding that statistics show that crashes involving private vehicles are still high.
“The highest number of road deaths are linked to motorcycles, followed by cars. These two groups alone make up more than 80 per cent of deaths. Motorcyclists are at the greatest risk.
“If we can transfer people from these groups to public transport a little, I feel we can manage the problem,” he said.
-- BERNAMA
