Smart phones a threat to road safety, says Liow
BENTONG: The use of mobile phones while driving and riding has been identified as a major cause of road accidents, according to transport minister Liow Tiong Lai.
He said the ministry would ask the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research to conduct studies to show that it was a serious matter that needed to be given attention by road users.
“The smart phone has changed our lives tremendously with the creation of various applications such as multimedia messaging,” he said. “But it can become very dangerous when we use it to view websites, take pictures or find locations while driving a car or riding a motorcycle,” he told reporters after opening a Balik Kampung Road Safety campaign here today.
Liow said the campaign’s theme ‘Focus on the road not on the hand’ was timely.
A study conducted by Miros had revealed that 80 percent of accidents were caused by human negligence, including the use of mobile phones.
He said the ministry would set up a working committee at the district level to ensure all road safety campaigns would be implemented effectively right down to the grassroots.
The ministry would also cooperate with the Education Ministry to give awareness on road safety regulations among students, he said.
— BERNAMA
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