Kuala Lumpur: The government is set to soon implement a reduction in the speed limit for school zones from 50 to 30 kilometres per hour (km/h) as a measure to enhance student safety. Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that the process for gazetting this new speed limit is currently in progress, following a policy decision by the Cabinet Committee on Road Safety and Congestion.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Minister Loke highlighted that the decision to lower the speed limit is supported by scientific data indicating that a reduction to 30 km/h significantly decreases the risk of fatalities in road accidents. He emphasized that each additional 10 km/h increases the likelihood of death in such incidents. This announcement was made during the 61st Annual General Meeting of the Malaysian Road Safety Council (MKJR).

In addition to the new speed limit, Loke stressed the importance of improving road infrastructure in school zones. This includes the installation of warning signs and yellow lines to alert road users and encourage reduced speeds. Statistics reveal an average of 70 fatal accidents occur in school zones annually.

The meeting also addressed community-based road safety initiatives, including the My Safe Road programme, which targets high-risk areas to reduce fatalities and serious injuries. Loke mentioned that MKJR will focus on the Safe School Zone and the Road Safety Leadership Fellowship Programme, which aims to cultivate young leaders to champion road safety initiatives through the Safe System Approach.

He concluded by noting that this approach has been effective in reducing road accident fatalities in developed nations. It requires a shift from solely blaming drivers’ attitudes to improving the system as a whole, encompassing road conditions, vehicle speed limits, and law compliance.