VULNERABLE ROAD USERS (VRU) AND THE

VULNERABILITY OF ROAD SAFETY

PERFORMANCE
What are the “low-hanging fruits” for

Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC)?

PROFESSOR DR. AHMAD FARHAN MOHD SADULLAH

UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA
Safer Road by Infrastructure
Operation and Design
Technical Session 4: VRU
Kuala Lumpur
Wednesday 24th April 2019
WHY ARE WE NOT MEETING OUR
TARGETS?
WHERE IS
THE ELUSIVE
DEFLECTION
POINT?
WE ARE SUPPOSED TO
HALVE ALL OUR ROAD
SAFETY
PERFORMANCE
INDICATORS BY 2020
Source: WHO (2018) Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018
THE PROBLEM IS IN THE LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES

Source: WHO (2018) Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018

Who are progressing and who are not?

Source: WHO (2018) Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018

VULNERABLE ROAD USERS

Source: WHO (2018) Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018

Distribution of Death (percentage) by Road User Type (2016 data)

Eastern South Western

Americas Europe Africa WORLD
Mediterranean East Asia Pacific

Cars 34 48 40 39 16 22 29

Motorcycles 23 11 9 15 43 36 28
V

Cyclists R
3 48 5 43 4 53 2 51 2 59 6 64 3 54
U
Pedestrians 22 27 40 34 14 22 23

Others 18 9 7 10 25 14 17

TOTAL 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Death/100000
15.6 9.3 26.6 18.0 20.7 16.9 18.2
people
Source: WHO (2018) Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018
ARE WE DOING ENOUGH FOR
Vulnerable Road Users (VRU)?
We know that VRU is the biggest contributor to road casualties

To many countries in LMIC, getting results for VRU, will help achieve the general
road safety results

VRU is indeed vulnerable

Do we understand enough about their risk and the associated safety behaviour?

Do we have enough accurate evidence to come up with effective interventions

and road safety outcomes?

Are we introducing effective interventions to achieve the desired outcomes

THE MALAYSIAN CASE STUDY
MALAYSIAN’s not
so +ve progress
Since the last
deflection point in
1997, Malaysia has
failed to achieve
significant and
consistent reduction in
road casualties
WE NEED TO FIND
OUR DEFLECTION Malaysia
POINT FIRST
AND SUBSEQUENTLY SUSTAIN OUR
PROGRESS

Malaysia
 Malaysia
Malaysia

7.19% 7.14% 6.54%

Malaysia
20.3% 20.8% 18.8%

62.7% 62.7% 64.5%

1.60% 1.72% 2.40%

THE MAIN VRU IN MALAYSIA IS THE
MOTORCYCLISTS
 Percentage of motorcycles and cars of total registered
Percentage Growth: Malaysian vehicle registration
vehicles in Malaysia
Year
Motorcycles Cars Year Motorcycles Cars

2008 8,487,451 Growth 7,966,525 Growth 2008 47.19% 44.29%

2009 8,905,854 4.930% 8,461,334 6.211% 2009 47.03% 44.68%

2010 9,368,454 5.194% 9,017,613 6.574% 2010 46.80% 45.05%

2011 9,947,189 6.177% 9,675,397 7.294% 2011 46.66% 45.39%

2012 10,544,578 6.006% 10,294,024 6.394% 2012 46.67% 45.56%

2013 10,926,125 3.618% 10,355,037 0.593% 2013 46.56% 44.12%

2014 11,629,265 6.435% 11,199,910 8.159% 2014 46.33% 44.62%

2015 12,094,790 4.003% 11,871,696 5.998% 2015 45.98% 45.14%

2016 12,677,041 4.814% 12,997,839 9.486% 2016 45.87% 47.03%

2017 12,897,496 1.739% 13,237,588 1.845% 2017 45.91% 47.13%

MOTORCYCLES RISK
FACTORS
Smallest motorised vehicles in a highly mixed traffic

Not majority but significant enough

Able to traverse at their “free-flow speed”

Able to weave between other vehicles - in and out of blind

spots
MOTORCYCLES RISK
FACTORS - adding to the risk
Motorcyclists visibility/
conspicuity

Riding behaviour (speeding,

licensing issues, competency
issues, weaving, red light
jumping, not respecting rules)

Poor active and passive safety

on motorcycles
ZOOMING ON MOTORCYCLES
MIROS and other researchers have done many useful research and
analysis on motorcycle safety

We know

The crash profile of crashes involving motorcycles

The profile of riders and victims of motorcycle crashes

The risky behaviour of motorcyclists on roads

The risk motorcycles face in a mixed traffic situation

The factors influencing behaviour of motorcyclists

The effectiveness of interventions

The 16-20 year old bracket is out biggest problem
Mistake or incompetent?
INTERVENTIONS INTRODUCED: SUCCESS OR
FAILURE?
• Helmet law and proper helmet wearing

• Motorcycles head lights on all the time

• Luminesce sticker to improve night and poor lighting visibility

• Seggregation (full and partial) for motorcycles

• Sporadic enforcement

• Advocacy - road safety education at schools

• Community based programmes

 INTERVENTIONS INTRODUCED: SUCCESS OR
FAILURE?
• Helmet law and proper helmet wearing
• Poor enforcement

• Not sufficient to tackle rapid movements

• Head lights on all the time
and in and out of blind spots

• Luminesce sticker to improve night and poor • Only for visibility, does not contribute
effectively towards active safety

lighting visibility

• Capacity issues, maintenance issue, lack

• Seggregation (full and partial) for motorcycles
of enforcement

• Can be totally absent and apathetic

• Sporadic enforcement

• Yet to see the results, but external

• Advocacy - road safety education at schools
influencing factors and lack of
enforcement may hamper

• Community based programmes • Has potential, but lack of encouragement

for communities to take ownership of
safety
 MOTIVATION
• Malaysia and many Low and Middle Income countries have struggled to achieve the
targets of the Road Safety Decade of Action

• We need to find the “DEFLECTION POINT” that would be the beginning point of
reduction in all the misery indicators of road safety

• As we often tackle road safety issues as a system, we often neglect the “low-
hanging fruits” that would help us achieve that “Deflection Point” sooner.

• The “Safe-System Approach” is still very important to ensure that we sustain the
positive results from the “Deflection Point” onwards
 1. Fatalities
Global targets : Decade of Action for Road Safety
Road Safety Targets
2. Injuries THE ROAD
National target : Malaysian Road Safety Plan
Annual targets ????
3.
4.
Crashes
Other influencing indicators SAFETY SYSTEM

ENABLING DATA
Aggregated Data Data Analytics Research

• Base-Line Data
• 2nd level understanding of • In-depth understanding of road
• Trend
road safety situation safety situation
• Monitoring of progress
Provide potential solutions
Evidenced - Based

What is our Approach

Problem?

Motorcycle is our worst 15 - 25 year old is our Rural roads and Federal Road casualty is positively
road safety component worst age-bracket Roads are our worst roads correlated to vehicle
registration

BEST OPPORTUNITY TO SOLVE MALAYSIAN ROAD

SAFETY PROBLEM
 1. Fatalities
Global targets : Decade of Action for Road Safety
National target : Malaysian Road Safety Plan Road Safety Targets
2. Injuries THE ROAD
Annual targets ????
3.
4.
Crashes
Other influencing indicators SAFETY SYSTEM

ENABLING DATA T O
G H
O U !
N S
Aggregated Data Data Analytics Research

G E U E
• Base-Line Data

• Trend

O I N I S S • 2nd level understanding of

road safety situation
• In-depth understanding of road
safety situation

T D
• Monitoring of progress

E S E Evidenced - Based

Provide potential solutions

N O T H
What is our
Problem?
Approach

R E S S
A E
Motorcycle is our worst 15 - 25 year old is our Rural roads and Federal Road casualty is positively

W E D R
road safety component worst age-bracket Roads are our worst roads correlated to vehicle

D
registration

A
BEST OPPORTUNITY TO SOLVE MALAYSIAN ROAD
SAFETY PROBLEM
TAKE HOME
MESSAGE 1
The importance of having appropriate
targets for road safety - please have
them

The critical importance of enabling data

Appreciation that research will value-

add and guide the road safety effort

Acknowledge four critical road safety

situation in MALAYSIA that will provide
the best opportunity to improve the
road safety situation
 1. Addressing the
safety of
OUR BEST motorcycles
OPPORTUNITY TO 2. Addressing the
FIND A DEFLECTION problems associated
POINT with the youth
SOLVE OUR BIGGEST PROBLEMS (15 - 25 year age
bracket)
3. Ensuring all rural
roads and federal
roads are “Forgiving
Roads”
CAUSE AND EFFECT ANALYSIS 1
Motorcycle is our worst
road safety component
Attitude and Lack of
Competency Issues
Behaviour on
Roads
Mixed Traffic
“Motorcycle” and “15-25 yrs old”
problems share similar issues.
Addressing them will provide the
BIGGGEST WIN for ROAD SAFETY
THE WILL
Without strong WILL and
COMMITMENT, we will not
achieve any results
THE TARGET
We need to put various targets at
all levels as KPI for road safety
Road casualty is positively
15 - 25 year old is our Rural roads and Federal
correlated to vehicle
worst age-bracket Roads are our worst roads
registration
Attitude of
Non-Forgiving road users
Roads
Behaviour on
Roads
HIGHER
RISKS Mixed Traffic
Attitude and Behaviour on roads are common
How to Manage Risks? contributors to increased risks on the roads. HOW
DO WE TACKLE THEM EFFECTIVELY?
 LETS US START WITH
MOTORCYCLES
IN FACT
“MOTORCYCLES AND 15-25 YEAR OLD”
HAVE SIMILAR ROOT PROBLEMS
CAUSE AND EFFECT ANALYSIS 2A
MANAGING THE RISKS

Motorcycles & 15-25 year age bracket

Motorycle is the smallest
Attitude of Riders Competency of Riders
vehicle on a typical road

WHY? SO WHAT IS
THE
PROBLEM?
CAUSE AND EFFECT ANALYSIS 2A
MANAGING THE RISKS

Motorcycle & 15-25 year age bracket

Motorycle is the smallest
Attitude of Riders Competency of Riders
vehicle on a typical road
Bad
habits • Visibility
First riding experience, not Existing • Alertness
Mixed Traffic
trained and not licensed drivers & • Speeding
Why? Riders • Weaving
• Other dangerous
Parents lack of Lack of behaviour
control Enforcement
CAUSE AND EFFECT ANALYSIS 2A
MANAGING THE RISKS

Motorcycle & 15-25 years old

Motorycle is the smallest
Attitude of Riders Competency of Riders
vehicle on a typical road
Bad
habits • Visibility
First riding experience, not Existing • Alertness
Mixed Traffic
trained and not licensed drivers & • Speeding
Why? Riders • Weaving
• Other dangerous
Parents lack of Lack of behaviour
control Enforcement

HOW CAN WE SOLVE THESE?

Suggestions?
CAUSE AND EFFECT ANALYSIS 2A
MANAGING THE RISKS

Motorcycle & 15-25 year age bracket

Motorycle is the smallest
Attitude of Riders Competency of Riders
vehicle on a typical road
Bad
habits • Visibility
First riding experience, not Existing • Alertness
Mixed Traffic
trained and not licensed drivers & • Speeding
Why? Riders • Weaving
• Other dangerous
Parents lack of Lack of behaviour
control Enforcement Remedial Increase in
Courses enforcement Use of
Technology
Do not give & Effective
Increase KEJARA discounts and do Advocacy
Advocacy + enforcement in Demerit Systen not write off
legal housing areas summons
framework and other hot EFFECTIVE ENFORCEMENT
spots
TAKE HOME
MESSAGE 2
Tackling “motorcycles” and “15-25 yrs old”
issues will provide the “BIGGEST WIN”

They have similar root problems

Combination of effective advocacy and

effective enforcement are key and both JKJR
and JPJ and Police can make their mark

KEJARA - our Demerit system must be in

place immediately

Technology and ASEANNCAP can help with

motorcycle safety too - need to be more
motorcycle centric as a strategic
differentiator
 GOALS
& TARGETS
SUGGESTED
OUTCOMES OUTCOMES OUTCOMES OUTCOMES
PILLARS
A strategic framework is
Improve
needed to implement any
Priority behaviour Managing
in traffic strategies for road safety

Motorcycle towards vehicle

stream &
safety 15 - 25 ensuring registration All the elements in the
year old forgiving and usage framework are critical items

roads
Pillars can be the four critical
OUTCOMES ENABLING DATA weaknesses highlighted
earlier

OUTCOMES GOVERNANCE
Governance, Talent and
OUTCOMES TALENT Resources cannot be taken
lightly as they are the
OUTCOMES RESOURCES foundation
 GOALS WHAT CAN YOU DO
& TARGETS TO ADDRESS
OUTCOMES OUTCOMES OUTCOMES OUTCOMES
THESE PROBLEMS?
Improve
Priority behaviour Managing
in traffic These are the low-hanging
Motorcycle towards vehicle
stream & fruits that we need to
safety 15 - 25 registration
ensuring quickly address

year old forgiving and usage

roads Hopefully, it will give us the
deflection point and
OUTCOMES ENABLING DATA Malaysia and other Low and
Middle Income Countries
OUTCOMES GOVERNANCE will eventually achieve our
OUTCOMES TALENT road safety targets

OUTCOMES RESOURCES
QUICK AND BIG WINS
Provide effective enforcement by JPJ/PDRM/Local
authorities
Strategic enforcement
LOW
On drivers and handlers – un-licensed issues

On vehicle roadworthiness

HANGING
On critical and high risk offences
FRUITS FOR
Continual enforcement

Bring the element of surprise

MOTORCYCLE
With no fear nor favour
AND 15-25
With the outcome of changing the attitude of road users

Close the loop of enforcement

YEAR
Effective legal proceedings

Closure with effective demerit systems (KEJARA)

PROBLEMS
LONG TERM BUT BIG WINS
Effective drivers and handlers training
programme (JPJ)
The new driving curriculum and training system has been introduced

All the outcomes must be met

The drivers training industry must share the same goals and help
deliver the outcomes

May require the next generation to start seeing results

Will require complementing “effective enforcement” for the

outcomes to be met
SUSTAINED BIG WINS
Research and development (MIROS and
universities)
Phase 1: Establishing Malaysian road safety behaviours, trends, baseline and fundamentals

Phase 1: Developing and institutionalizing enablers and systems for road safety

Phase 2: Doing effective RnD to identify appropriate interventions

Phase 2: Provide directions for road safety RnD for Malaysia for continual impact

Phase 3: Referral for road safety with innovations and leadership

Phase 3: Capacity building for road safety

BUT WILL BE DEPENDENT ON QUALITY AND AVAILABLE

ROAD SAFETY DATA FROM PDRM
COMPLEMENTING LONG TERM WINS
Advocacy programmes towards changing attitude (JKJR)
Social marketing programmes

Interventions at schools

Community-championed programmes

Good governance and coordinating between agencies

Data and information sharing

Common goals

Ownership and outcome based

 NATIONAL-CENTRIC ROAD SAFETY
APPROACH
VS
LOCALISED ROAD SAFETY STRATEGIES
Which is more effective?

Are we doing enough at the local level?

Pros and Cons
National based approach, if successful, will provide the “BIG WIN”

However, to implement them, requires

Change of the national legislation

Change of the national operating procedure

The national scale is just too costly for cost effectivenes

Muddled by political interference and inter-agency rivalry

Possible no-mans land syndrome

Apathetic attitude by those who are closest to the people at local levels

Gaps in communication and enthusiasm

LOCALISING ROAD SAFETY
Clear road safety targets - to suit what
matters most at the local level

Clear indication of quick and big wins

Working towards “committed ownership” -

THE WILL

Come up with a local STRATEGIC PLAN

which is outcome-based

• WALK THE TALK

Prepare an “IMPLEMENTATION PLAN” to
• EXECUTE THE PLAN
achieve the strategic plan

• ACHIEVE THE OUTPUTS

• MEET THE OUTCOMES
Continuous monitoring of progress through
• SUCCESS IN ACHIEVING TARGETS
available deignated data

Continuous stream of ideas for interventions • THIS IS THE DECADE OF ACTION FOR ROAD
SAFETY
CONCLUSIONS
1. MALAYSIA AND LMIC NEED TO FIND A FRESH APPROACH FOR ROAD
SAFETY
2. IN ORDER TO TURN AROUND THE SITUATION, WE NEED TO LOOK FOR
BIG AND QUICK WINS
3. ADDRESSING THE VRU WILL PROVIDE THE BEST SOLUTIONS
4. THE IMPORTANCE OF ENABLING DATA AND RESEARCH CANNOT BE
MORE EMPHASISED
5. A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK MUST BE USED FOR EFFECTIVE
IMPLEMENTATION
6. LOCALISING ROAD SAFETY IS NEEDED TO GET MORE EFFECTIVE
AND SUSTAINABLE RESULTS
 THANK YOU
cefrhn@usm.my

Achieving road safety outcomes are never

easy

“But we should never give up”

Together we can make the difference