17 September 2010 - According to Mufors (Malaysian Unite for Road Safety), it is the attitude of drivers which have been the main cause of accidents and fatalities on the road. Much of these are contributed by the selfishness and bad attitude of drivers as concluded in an online poll they conducted. The poll involved 1,500 respondents where 549 of them (36.6%) said that they felt it was the 2 main reasons for the high and rising rate of road accidents in the country.
The selfishness and bad attitude of drivers fuels the high incidence of road accidents and deaths on Malaysian roads. This is the finding of an online poll conducted as part of the Malaysians Unite for Road Safety (Mufors) initiative. The Mufors poll has revealed that out of 1,500 respondents to date, 36.6% or 549 felt that bad attitude and selfishness were the main reasons behind the high rate of road accidents and deaths on Malaysian roads.
"The poll also revealed that human error and careless drivers (30% or 450) are also viewed as factors that contribute to road accidents and deaths," said Mufors in a statement on Tuesday. According to the online poll, road conditions (15%), lack of enforcement (10%), punishment for traffic offences not harsh enough (6.9%) and questionable decisions like discounts for traffic summonses (6.6%) were also seen as reasons for the high incidence of road accidents in the country, albeit to a lesser extent.
According to government statistics, an average of 18 deaths occur on Malaysian roads daily, while road accidents cost the Malaysian economy a staggering RM9.3bil annually. Mufors is a community project set up to empower Malaysians to voice their thoughts and concerns on road safety in the country.
The Mufors initiative, which started on Aug 18 last year, is supported by PLUS Expressways Bhd and its partners. Mufors chairman Noorizah Abdul Hamid, who is also PLUS managing director, hopes Malaysians will visit the website, take part in the poll and voice out their concerns with regard to Malaysian road habits.
Mufors has also launced a short film contest themed, "Attitudes of Roads - A Malaysian Journey", for students of institutions of higher learning which offers attractive prizes, including RM10,000 for the winner of each category.
Source: The Star
