Malaysia needs a culture of preparedness to improve road safety

Road safety should begin before a crash, with cautious behaviour, mature decisions and preparation for unexpected risks. That is the central argument of this commentary, which links Malaysia’s road dangers to wider concerns about an increasingly unstable natural environment and climate-related risks.

The piece expresses sympathy for Nepal over a tragedy that it says affected victims’ relatives and families. It then turns to Malaysia, where roads are described as a source of anxiety for some users. Highways and state roads alike can feel like places where lives are put at risk, particularly when drivers become impatient, careless or driven by emotion.

Malaysia has a modern and comprehensive road network covering 260,000 kilometres, according to a report by the Construction Industry Development Board. The network supports new economic corridors and helps keep pace with urbanisation, demographic change and technology across the country, including Sabah and Sarawak.

But infrastructure alone cannot make travel safe. The commentary urges road users to improve their safety awareness and understand how roads and transport facilities contribute to public well-being. A few minutes spent making a smart decision, it says, is preferable to losing a life or carrying lifelong regret because of haste, carelessness or a failure to control anger.

The call for a culture of preparedness is tied to Malaysia’s Road Safety Plan 2022-2030, which targets a 50% reduction in deaths from road crashes by 2030. The plan reflects the view that safety cannot rest on drivers’ shoulders alone, although the provided text ends before detailing the other responsibilities it identifies.