Kuala lumpur: The Malaysian Road Safety Council is set to launch a Safe School Zone pilot project at 14 schools across the nation, potentially benefiting nearly 20,000 students and staff. Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook announced the initiative following a series of recent fatal accidents involving students, alongside statistics revealing an average of 70 incidents occurring in school zones annually.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Loke emphasized that the current management of speed and road infrastructure at most schools is inadequate. The council's intervention through the pilot project will concentrate on reducing speed limits in school areas by enhancing infrastructure, such as pedestrian light-controlled crossings and medians. The project aims to eventually expand to more schools identified as high-risk.

Loke highlighted the need for collaboration, particularly from the Education Ministry and state education departments, to identify schools situated near or alongside federal roads. He also called on corporations to support the initiative by sponsoring schools. "A company could adopt five or ten schools a year. If this takes off, the project can be scaled up, meaning more schools will be protected under this initiative," Loke stated, noting that approximately RM300,000 is needed per school for implementation.

Additionally, Loke announced that the council would spearhead the creation of a road safety index to assess compliance levels and changes in road user behavior at the targeted locations. He stressed the importance of data-driven decision-making to enhance road safety interventions. While the focus has traditionally been on fatality numbers, Loke advocated for a more dynamic approach through developing leading indicators to better identify risk levels, system vulnerabilities, and the impact of ongoing interventions.