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COVER FEATURE

Miros Solutions for Road Safety

By Aimi Fahmi and Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah, Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research

As Malaysia makes progress towards becoming a developed nation, one of the challenges that it has to overcome is ensuring safety of its roads. In terms of road safety, Malaysia faces a phenomenon different from that of the West, thus the need for the establishment of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research to look for localized solutions for road safety.
Fatalities on Malaysian roads number more than 6,000 each year. With the number of registered vehicles increasing each year, Malaysias fatality rates per 10,000 vehicles have seen a decline since the 1990s. Out of this rapid growth in vehicle ownership, 60% of the vehicles on Malaysian roads are motorcycles. Like its Southeast Asian neighbours, the highest number of casualties involves motorcycles. However, motorcycles are not the only concern in the mixed traffic scenario in Malaysia. In its research, MIROS focuses on three obvious components of road safety, namely the road and its environment, the vehicle, and also the road user. As road safety involves a variety of stakeholders, MIROS also looks at system issues that arise in road safety, such as institutional matters among the stakeholders. Accident Database System MIROS is currently focusing on improving the MIROS Road Accident Database System (M-ROADS) to enable better collection, storage and analysis of accident data. M-ROADS will provide information on the breadth and depth of road safety problems and guide researchers and practitioners on problem statements that matters. MIROS has published a guidebook on procedures to assess the safety of roads called

Crash investigation by MIROS crash analysts at crash scene.

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THE INGENIEUR VOL 48 DECEMBER 2010 FEBRUARY 2011

continuously monitored and evaluated. Other research areas that are actively pursued by MIROS include those relating to road traffic injuries, geographical mapping of accidents, vehicle simulators and accident simulations. By providing evidence, MIROS can then propose appropriate programmes and strategies to the relevant agencies and stakeholders. Findings from MIROS studies can also be used to develop and recommend legislation and policies that will lead to the improvement of road safety in the country.
Data collection on the road by MIROS crash analysts with PDRM traffic assistance.

The participation and commitment of many different organisations and sectors are needed in order to effectively reduce the ever increasing number of road casualties in Malaysia. MIROS concern is not only to improve the current situation, but to also ensure that it is sustainable. While low cost safety remedial measures are a priority at the current time, MIROS is also working on long-term counter measures that will not only benefit Malaysia, but also other countries with similar road safety problems.

MIROS Guidebook for Traffic and Road Safety Assessment (MeTRA). MeTRA will complement the present road safety audit procedures and will especially help local authorities to ensure operational facilities remain safe. In addition, MIROS consistently looks at the effectiveness of enforcement activities especially speed and other traffic violations such as red light running, helmet and seat belt wearing compliance as well as aspects related to commercial vehicle safety. MIROS also carries out seasonal studies during festive seasons to understand the level of exposure and risk, and the effectiveness of dedicated inter vention programmes introduced during such periods. In-depth Crash Analysis MIROS performs in-depth crash analysis on high-profile cases, from which the crash configurations are reconstructed to provide better understanding on the crash as well as opportunities for intervention. MIROS has also succeeded in being the first in Malaysia to perform outdoor crash tests involving motorcycles and automobiles and has put forth a new non-destructive rating system tailored to the local market called Malaysian Vehicle Assessment Programme (MyVAP). MIROS also audits bus companies in relation to the Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Code of Practice (COP) for the transportation sector that was recently made compulsory. Effectiveness of enforcement From the road user perspective, MIROS evaluates the effectiveness of road safety social marketing such as advocacy programmes, campaigns and advertisements on media. Measurements for perception of being caught (PoBC) are made throughout the year to gauge visibility and effectiveness of enforcement. Road safety education in schools and those carried out at driving institutes before driver testing are also

MIROS crash analysts analyzing vehicle damage

MIROS Motorcycle Crash Test