Tough enforcement is the key

I REFER to the recent request by the Transport Minister for the police to enhance their enforcement efforts, and to Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye’s calls for action to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries.

I cannot agree more. Reviews of efforts in countries which have reduced their road toll have shown that education for road safety alone does not work. In some instances, education has been shown to do more harm than good. Sustained (day/night, 24/7, not just during festive periods) and universal (rural/urban/highway) enforcement is the key to success in road safety. With this strategy, the public will get the message: an enhanced perception of being caught by enforcement personnel. Education is the sugar in the bitter enforcement medicine.