‘MISALIGNED’ may be the best way to describe the psyche of Malaysian drivers and passengers who ignore the basic safety measure of wearing seat belts.
Seat belts have been mandatory for drivers and front seat passengers since 1978 and for all rear seat passengers since 2009. But we are far from full compliance.
Even after enforcement was extended to express and tour buses after 2020, the seat belt usage rate remains low. Why is this?
A combination of complacency, laziness, ignorance and intermittent law enforcement is plausible. Rear seat passengers who don’t buckle up may believe in the myth that the front seats can cushion a crash.
Seat belt use has shockingly dropped to just 10 to 15 per cent in recent years despite a Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research study showing that seat belts reduce fatalities by 50 per cent in accidents.
There are no definitive statistics on deaths and injuries stemming from not wearing seat belts, but data from 2007 show that 350 deaths were caused by unbelted rear seat passengers.
Overall, there were 5,364 deaths and numerous injuries in the 532,125 road accidents from January to October last year.
The unbelted also pose a danger to fellow passengers. In a crash, they can be thrown forward, injuring front seat occupants.
The Road Transport Department (RTD) isn’t waiting for another highway tragedy to enforce compliance. After announcing the mandatory use of seat belts for all drivers and passengers in private vehicles nationwide, RTD director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli, fully aware of the Malaysian lackadaisical psyche, is first opting for advocacy programmes, like the Klik Sebelum Gerak campaign.
They include regular inspections to ensure compliance and better adherence, but once the “honeymoon” is over, it will be fines of up to RM300 for flouters. This is welcome, practical and sensible.
Back in 2008, when rear seat belt rules were first introduced, the RTD conducted a six-month Advisory Service Op campaign to raise awareness.
Inspections and checks on express and tour buses have already been enforced, which explains the high compliance rate.
In the Malaysian psyche, laws alone are inadequate. Motorists have to be led by the nose or forced to experience the full weight of enforcement. Only then do we see results. Consistency forms habits. Advocacy programmes are fine and well, but should take a back seat (with belts worn) when lives are at stake.
We suggest that the RTD expand its campaign by producing videos for broadcast on all national TV stations, web portals and social media platforms.
The RTD can also reenact accidents without the use of seat belts. Nothing educates the Malaysian psyche more than graphic and visual imagery portending the injurious effects of not wearing seat belts.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
