Culture of safety also needs to be instilled to make school zones safer

TRANSPORT Minister Anthony Loke’s recent call for private companies and property developers to sponsor and “adopt” school safety zones is an extraordinary move.

By inviting corporations to use their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) funds to build safer roads around schools, the Transport Ministry has found a brilliant way to overcome budget limits in order to protect our children.

This initiative is highly timely and urgent. Our roads see an average of 70 crashes in school areas every year, leading to heartbreaking tragedies.

Just look at recent cases like the Form One student who was tragically killed inside her school compound at SMK Tanjong Mas, Kota Baru, and the Year Two pupil who was struck by a delivery van outside the main gate of SK Seri Maimon in Batu Pahat.

Loke’s plan to get companies to cover the RM200,000 to RM300,000 cost to upgrade each school area is exactly what we need to turn corporate support into life-saving shields.

However, building better infrastructure is only half the battle. While new speed humps, pedestrian walkways and clear 30kph signs are vital, they cannot fix bad habits.

A big part of the root cause of these incidents is student behaviour, such as running across busy roads blindly or lacking awareness of traffic dangers.

To get the best value from corporate funding, part of the money must be used for training and safety awareness to change these bad habits.

During corporate board meetings, directors always ask a fundamental question: Is our CSR contribution turning into a genuinely better outcome?

Showing real, measurable results is the key factor that determines a company’s ongoing interest and guarantees the long-term sustainability of their contributions.

Investing solely in concrete infrastructure will not guarantee a safer outcome if the statistics do not budge due to poor human behaviour.

Therefore, the Transport Ministry should run a dual-track programme: fix the physical roads and teach children about road safety.

To do this effectively, the government should rope in safety NGOs, like the Alliance for a Safe Community, that are passionate advocates for commuting safety. Their professionals can design safety programmes that teach young minds to respect the road.

Finally, this initiative needs strong support from the Education Ministry. We must use a “Train-the-Trainer” approach to train selected teachers and school staff to become “Road Safety Heroes”.

These internal champions will stay on the ground to guide students and keep the safety culture alive daily.

This measurable human impact is exactly the kind of outcome that corporate boards need to see to keep funding the initiative year after year.

Upgrading the physical roads outside our schools is a fantastic start. But to truly protect our children, we must also instil a culture of safety in them.

Let us invest in the infrastructure that slows down the cars and the training that smartens up the children.

CHIN YEW SIN

Shah Alam