KLANG: Road users in the Klang district have been advised to bring along safety cones in their vehicles as a preparatory step to face any possibilities while travelling back to their respective destinations this Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Klang Road Safety Council chairman Mohd Zainal Mohd Noor said the safety cones are crucial as it assists in warning other road users to be careful should there be any accidents or vehicle breakdowns along the way.
“The cones are important as it has reflective lights, especially at night, which functions to enable other road users to be more alert of the danger in front of them.
“This (to have safety cones in vehicles) may seem like a simple thing but there are those that do not care about doing so. So I urge all road users to have the safety cones as an item that is compulsory to have in their vehicles,” he said.
Mohd Zainal said this when met during the council’s ‘Road Safety Awareness Campaign’ to mark the Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2018 celebrations held at the Sani Bus Express Terminal in Persiaran Klang Sentral this morning.
Also present was Sani Express chief executive officer Abu Bakar Mohammad and Sani Express Sdn Bhd managing director Wan Mohd Iskandar Salleh.
Mohd Zainal, who is also Klang district officer, said statistics by Malaysia Road Safety Council showed there were 20,982 road accidents in 2016 and the figures increased to 22,402 in 2017.
“We often hear of Malaysians being a gentle and polite lot but when we are on the road, the nature changes. We need to ward off this perception. Having said that, it is our hope that road users will not solely place the responsibility of safety on the government or highway concessionaires.
“The realisation (for safety) should come from the vehicle drivers themselves. With that, I would like to call on road users who are travelling to their hometowns to drive carefully,” he said.
Meanwhile, Abu Bakar said Sani Express would not compromise when it comes to safety matters especially for buses operating under the company.
“The issue of safety is very sensitive in the public transportation industry. But not all public transportation operators take this seriously. However, for Sani Express, we abide by all procedures and safety aspects, aside from the other rules and regulations that have been stipulated by the authorities especially in express bus operations,” he said.
He added that Sani Express is the sole transportation provider that has been given a five-star recognition in the safety category which covers the areas of maintenance, safety level, accident records, supervision and operations by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS).
At the same event, the council along with Sani Express also distributed bags of food items for breaking of fast to drivers and passengers who are returning to their hometowns.