iRAP congratulates the Ministry of Transport Malaysia and Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) on the release of the country’s National Road Safety Plan for 2030 aligned to UN Targets 3 and 4 and recommending for the continued implementation of local road assessment programme MyRAP to eliminate high-risk roads to save lives and serious injuries.

Malaysia’s Road Safety Plan (MRSP) 2022-2030 sets targets to increase the percentage of kilometres of new and existing roads which receive a rating of 3-star or better, and in particular for star ratings to be expanded for all types of roads and high-risk areas such as schools and business activity zones. It further recommends for the continued work of MyRAP to ensure the implementation of the iRAP Methodology, tools and training adapted to the local situation and needs.

The Plan states, “The star rating programme for roads in Malaysia has been in place since 2007 involving 3,700 km on main routes through the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP). Based on the evaluation performed, it was found that 91% of Federal Roads and 13% of highways outside urban areas were rated 3-star or lower. In 2017, the percentage of road networks with a rating of 3-star or better increased from 52.4% to 95.5% for urban highways based on the immediate improvement performed and drivers’ compliance with the road speed limits. This achievement shows that this evaluation programme can improve the level of road safety in the country.”

Road traffic crashes are the number one cause of accidental death in Malaysia, claiming more than 6,500 lives per year.

The 2030 Plan aims to improve al levels of road safety by setting targets and various initiatives, programmes, strategies and intervention measures under 10 priority areas for the next 10 years. The priority areas include:

Aligned to the 12 UN Voluntary Global Road Safety Performance Targets, the plan will be implemented with the collaboration of all stakeholders including governmental agencies, private sector, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s), local communities and prominent road safety advocates.

The Malaysian Government aims to become a role model by introducing a sustainable and dynamic road safety management system in the government’s internal management procedures and operations.

In the Plan Foreword, Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob says, “Through the actions under the previous Malaysia Road Safety Plan 2014-2020, we have successfully recorded a reduction rate of 4.8% yearly in terms of the number of fatalities from road traffic crashes. However, we cannot afford to be complacent with this achievement. The existing road safety policies and guiding principles need to be continuously evaluated and improved to ensure its effectiveness and relevancies in achieving the ultimate goal. Proactive and strategic actions need to be taken in order to achieve our vision of making Malaysia a country with zero road fatalities.

“Although the vision of zero road fatality is onerous to be achieved, I believe, with the cooperation and commitments from all parties and everyone involved, it is not impossible. Let’s all of us unite as one to implement all that has been planned and outlined towards making MRSP 2022-2030 a success for all Keluarga Malaysia,” he outlines.