GEORGE TOWN: The Road Safety Department will expand its Road Safety Education Module (RSEM) to include pre-school and secondary school students beginning early next year.
Its director general Mohd Nasri Ishak said the module, which is currently being taught to primary school pupils, has been updated to make it more interesting and interactive.
He said about 15,000 teachers were trained last year to deliver the revised module, which has been incorporated in the Bahasa Melayu subject.
"We want to nurture the culture of road safety from school, and that is why we will be introducing it for the pre-school level and for secondary school students.
"We want children to be able to influence the people around them, their fellow villagers and friends on the importance of road safety," Nasri said today.
The department officially launched the RSEM for primary school students in an event that was launched by Penang Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas.
Also present was State Public Works, Utilities and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari.
Nasri earlier said in his speech that 6,284 Malaysians died from road accidents nationwide last year, and 390 of those cases occured in Penang.
He said the number of accidents would go up if the level of road safety awareness was low.
On a separate issue, Nasri said studies conducted by the department and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) revealed that it was not a good idea to lower the eligibility age for obtaining driver’s and motorcycle licences.
"The government is not ready to decrease the eligibility age. This is based on studies by us and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros).
"They are deemed too young and might misuse the license they acquire," he added.