PETALING JAYA: There is a critical need to enhance safety in the vicinity of schools to reduce road crashes and deaths involving children, said Universiti Putra Malaysia Department of Community Health professor Dr Kulanthayan K.C. Mani.
He was commenting on police statistics which said that 322 schoolchildren were involved in road crashes in 2023 alone and that on average 67 of them died each year in road crashes.
“Managing traffic speed is key to reducing road deaths and injuries. The speed at which a vehicle travels influences the risk of a crash, the severity of a victim’s injuries and the probability of death,” Kulanthayan said.
He said the most promising intervention in addressing road crashes and injuries is voluntarily reducing vehicle speed or regulating a much lower speed limit.
The current speed limit in school zones is 40km/h. However, Kulanthayan said it is necessary to reduce it to 30km/h “in areas with high child activity”. “Based on the findings of an international study, each 1km reduction in speed can lower the death rate by 4% to 5%.
“Most countries have adopted a 30km/h speed limit in school zones to ensure children are safe. In Malaysia, the 30km/h is still an advisory speed limit and not a regulated one.”
Kulanthayan said children are at high risk of being involved in road crashes and suffering injuries as they have many limitations and cannot make decisions about their safety, which is why they need to be accompanied by an adult when on the road.
“While an adult has a 180° field of vision, a child’s vision is restricted to just 60°, making it extremely risky for them to cross the road on their own.
“Children are often misled into believing that if they can see a vehicle, the driver can see them too. However, drivers are usually focused on road signs, other vehicles, and traffic lights and can easily overlook children because of their small size.”
Universiti Teknologi Mara Malaysia Institute of Transport senior lecturer Muhammad Izwan Mohd Badrillah said the design of school zones plays a significant role in ensuring safety.
“There are always challenges and risks when implementing safety measures. Inconsistent design standards, insufficient infrastructure, reckless driving behaviour and double parking all contribute to the danger.
“A lot of signages and road markings are also poorly maintained and obscured by vegetation or not easily visible, so the authorities have to be more responsible to inspect and resolve such issues,” he said.
Muhammad Izwan said having traffic wardens or volunteers present during peak hours in school zones can play an important role in preventing accidents.
He said design elements like footpaths, crosswalks, speed bumps, and drop-off zones are crucial for safety in school zones, but they can cause road crashes if improperly designed or maintained.
“Footpaths, for example, should ideally be 2.4 metres wide, but the minimum acceptable width is 0.9 metres. If footpaths are too narrow or don’t meet height and clearance guidelines, they can create unsafe walking conditions for children.
“Speed bumps are supposed to slow traffic, but if they’re not placed in the right spots or clearly marked, drivers might not notice them in time, causing sudden braking or swerving. Some drivers may even accelerate after passing a speed bump, which defeats the purpose of having them,” he said.
