James Kon
A total of 2,812 road accident were recorded in 2021, out of which 343 involved minor injuries, and 16 led to fatality, according to National Road Safety Council (MKKJR) statistics.
Meanwhile, in the first quarter of 2022, the total number of road accidents reported was 315, with seven of the cases fatal.
The figures were shared by Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary (Transport) at the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications Haji Mohd Salihin bin Haji Aspar, who is also the Secretary of MKKJR, during a press conference yesterday.
He revealed that statistics for 2021 and 2022 showed the group most likely to be in road accidents involving loss of life and injuries were male drivers aged 18-38.
“The majority of drivers were individuals who had passed driving test within the period of one to two years.
“Among the causes in fatality cases are due to the driver’s failure to comply with road traffic regulations, such as beating the red light, not wearing seat belts and not complying with road traffic instructions,” he added.
In light of the worrying number of road accident fatalities, he said, “MKKJR, with cooperation from other government agencies as well as the private sector and associations will continue to host programmes and initiatives to increase road safety, including the road traffic safety awareness programme by sharing accident statistics and focussing on driving ethics and continuous dissemination of road safety culture through mass media, such as television and radio, social media, government counters and websites as well as through the Friday sermon.”
With regard to the improvement of infrastructure and systems, he said, “MKKJR, through related agencies, will continue to carry out improvement works to road infrastructure particularly accident-prone areas or ‘hot spots’.
“Among the improvement efforts are: the installation of variable message sign (VMS) by the Public Works Department (JKR) at the Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Bridge, installation of rumble strips, speed limit signs and slowing down signs in several hot spots.”
Meanwhile, MKKJR joined forces with the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF), the JKR and the Mosque Affairs Department to conduct checks on several mosques in Brunei-Muara District to determine the level of safety for pedestrians in the vicinity of mosques.
“From the visits, it was proposed for the constructions of pedestrians paths, change from Centre Red Median to Road Red Median and install rumble strips in the vicinity. These initiatives will be applied to other mosques in the future,” he added.
The acting deputy permanent secretary also highlighted the upgrading of Road Accident Data Enhancement and Development (RADED) system by adding the data analytics function for ease of obtaining accurate information for implementing policies and appropriate actions.
Meanwhile, Acting Director of the Traffic Control and Investigation Department Senior Superintendent Haji Mohammad Azrie bin Haji Talip said, “The 2021 statistics under the Traffic Control and Investigation Department of the RBPF show 18,495 road violations recorded from 2,533 operations.
“Between January and April this year, 3,545 road traffic violations were recorded from 486 operations.”
He also shared that five of 10 main violations recorded in 2021 until the first quarter of 2022 are putting up sun shades, illegal vehicle modifications, not using seat belts, driving with expired licences and illegal parking.
The public is urged to report or share information related to road traffic and safety offences through Darussalam Line 123 or via WhatsApp at 8333123.
The public is also advised to exercise caution, comply with the traffic laws and regulations and ensure their vehicles are always in a good condition.
