REGARDLESS of whether you are a driver, passenger, rider, pillion, or pedestrian, travelling on Malaysian roads can feel like a death wish.
Last year, 600,000 accidents were recorded, and they resulted in 6,443 deaths, with motorcyclists accounting for 65 per cent of the fatalities.
To put it more bluntly, 18 people die daily from traffic accidents across a landscape of 32.3 million motor vehicles, driven by 16 million people, with 3.5 million — mostly in rural areas — flagrantly breaking the law by driving without licences.
Dreary clichés cause accidents: distracted attention (blame the smartphone), recklessness, insecure protection, speeding, poor personal habits, social and behavioural misconduct, and inconsiderate driving, especially of large commercial vehicles.
Teenagers between 15 and 19, particularly those driving at night or during weekends, and older adults over 65 face heightened risks of fatal injuries and vehicle damage.
Nearly 43 per cent of rookie drivers and 37 per cent of second-year drivers were involved in traffic crashes. The average driver's annual probability of being in a crash stands at 1 in 107 — not reassuring.
The tragedy is that this nightmarish road safety message must be re-articulated, repeated and reinforced, again and again.
Such is the poor memory some Malaysians have for traffic safety.
Even the best of drivers are affected, unable to anticipate or avoid the consequences of others' reckless driving.
A recent crash on the North-South Expressway at the Bangi and Nilai junctions where a trailer driver lost control and veered into oncoming traffic is a case in point.
Malaysian Wheelchair Users Association president Zamri Mansor has implored the government to launch a more effective road safety campaign. He offered several well-intentioned suggestions, though they address symptoms rather than root causes of dangerous driving.
Let's consider a different approach. Since travelling on Malaysian highways is, in whatever capacity, a matter of life and death, there are compelling reasons to educate future drivers first. Start them young at kindergartens.
The campaign then follows them into primary and secondary schools, and also to colleges, where they are at the most vulnerable. Eventually, the campaign should reach the general public that concludes with the ultimate vulnerable group, senior citizens.
The campaign syllabus must teach universal human values of courtesy, hospitality and civic-mindedness, reinforced by anti-corruption messages.
For maximum should include images and videos of the end result of a horrifying crash, much like the health warning images on cigarette packs.
Let the reality sink in. Previous safety campaigns have failed, delivering lacklustre presentations that missed the mark.
The grim statistics speak volumes. Traffic regulations only punish offenders without effectively deterring them.
It's high time for cutting-edge anti-accident strategies to be implemented.