Malaysia

Country Summary

The Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) has long enjoyed a close working relationship with Malaysia, which became a GRSP focus country in 2007. Since then, the Malaysian government has embarked on road safety initiatives through partnerships with business and civil society, including a national helmet project, a national public education campaign to coincide with a new mandatory rear seat-belt law in 2009, a national road safety education project, and the establishment of road safety clubs and traffic wardens at local schools, among many others.

But the problem is still far from solved. The rapid increase in the number of new vehicles, particularly two wheelers, is contributing to the crash problem. In 2010, the Malaysia Global Road Safety Partnership (MGRSP) continued to work closely with key national, regional and international actors in developing and promoting good road-safety practices. In November, MGRSP worked with the Road Safety Department Malaysia and the Swedish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to host the 3rd Malaysia-Sweden International Road Safety Seminar and Workshop with around 131 people - 52 of which participated in a two-day workshop facilitated by three road-safety specialists from Sweden.

In addition to the seminar, participants had a technical visit to Volvo Malaysia as part of their programme. The Deputy Minister of Transport Malaysia, Y.B. Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri launched the programme together with the Ambassador of Sweden to Malaysia, H.E. Per-Arne Hjelmborn.

Developing road safety leadership

GRSP has also worked closely with the Malaysian government in supporting on-going professional development of traffic police, who also develop the capacity to facilitate trainings with more of their colleagues. In 2009, for example, it completed phase three of the Traffic Police Professional Development programme, which focused on strengthening the capability of traffic law enforcement officers to develop Strategic Enforcement Plans, to make effective use of intelligence, to plan strategies and tactics and to implement effective operations.

The programme involved the training and professional development of traffic police officers, in both a theoretical and practical sense, complimented by appropriate mentoring, monitoring and quality assurance processes.

The programme had three phases:

  1. “Leadership in Road Policing” Workshop for senior police regional commanders and their training officers.
  2. A five-day “Train the Trainer” programme that includes a full operational course together with instructor development on public speaking, engagement and workshop facilitation.
  3. A five-day training programme for all traffic police officers in which the freshly skilled trainers deliver training to operational non-commissioned officers, first-line supervisors, traffic specialists and regular patrol officers. This phase is monitored for quality assurance and mentored by the initial facilitators.

An accident happens in a mere two to three seconds, but it leaves lifelong suffering with permanent scars that can never be quantified.

– Datuk Suret Singh, Director General, Road Safety Department, Malaysia