Youth in the Belait District showcased their interpretations of road safety during the Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP) Road Safety Open Day at KB Sentral Shopping Centre yesterday.
Acting Belait District Officer Haji Amirol Hafidzin bin Haji Muhammad was among the attendees at the event held to mark the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
BSP’s Head of Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) and Security Haji Osmera bin Haji Othman said the event not only served to remember the lives lost but also to learn from them while advocating for actions to prevent further road traffic deaths and injuries.
Haji Osmera said, “There have been more than 170 road fatalities in Brunei in the last 10 years, including five this year. It serves as a reminder that we must do more to promote road safety – as road users and as a community.”
He noted that many traffic accidents are avoidable.
“Road safety is a shared responsibility. The best way to make sure that our roads remain safe is to ensure we use the roads safely at the individual level. There is a saying, ‘Road safety starts with me’, and I am a firm believer in this.
“And I ask for everyone to be the same, by being leaders that set examples of how to make our roads safe for everyone.”
The event continued with a presentation of prizes to youth who stood out in a recent competition organised by the National Road Safety Council (MKKJR).
There were also booths set up by agencies such as the Fire and Rescue Department (FRD), Brunei LNG Sdn Bhd, Mahkota Maju Sdn Bhd, Brunei Shell Marketing Company Sdn Bhd (BSM), MKKJR, Brunei Darussalam Cycling Federation (BDCF), STL and Schlumberger (SLB) Brunei.
One of the main attractions at the event was the ‘safety belt convincer’. Visitors were strapped into a seat that simulated a 10-kilometre-per-hour crash to demonstrate the importance of safety belt. – Daniel Lim
