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Abstract
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Background Road safety is an alarming issue in Malaysia with a new record high of 6877 deaths in 2011. The nation lost an estimated 2.65% of its annual Gross Domestic Product due to road crashes. Even at the nation's administrative capital Putrajaya, with a population of 90 000, 11 deaths were recorded in 2010.
Objectives In 2011, the Putrajaya's administration embarked on a 'Safe City Concept' with emphasis on Community Based Programme (CBP) for road safety. The CBP was aimed at achieving higher compliance of seatbelt and helmet wearing.
Methods Precinct 8 in Putrajaya was chosen as a locality for case study while Precinct 16 was chosen as a control location. A 6-month intervention programmes involving social marketing campaigns, education, and enforcement activities were carried out. In contrast, no intervention was held in Precinct 16. Observation study was carried out to determine the helmet and seatbelt compliance, whereas survey was used to determine the level of awareness and behaviour change. Children's understanding on road safety was measured through an indoor game called DeCare Xploration.
Results The CBP is capable of delivering positive results with greater compliance for both helmet and seatbelt wearing. The seatbelt compliance increased from 42% to 58% while the helmet compliance was also up from 70% to 85%.
Significance to the Field The study indicates that a combination of education, social marketing campaign and enforcement are effective in achieving safer roads. This study can be replicated in other localities.
This abstract is from proceedings of the Safety 2012 World Conference. |