Road accidents the No. 1 killer of youths
KUCHING: Road accidents are the number one cause of deaths among youths aged 15 to 29 in the country, which is why Shell Malaysia is taking the initiative to create road safety awareness in schools through its # ShellSelamatSampai programme.
In revealing this, Shell Malaysia chairman Datuk Iain Lo stressed the importance of reaching out to youths as they are the most vulnerable group where road safety is concerned.
“We want to educate them on the basic things that will keep them safe on the roads. They are the right audience to inculcate discipline, rules and respect for others on the road as they are at the age where they are getting to ride motorcycles or drive a car.
“We launched this programme last year in Subang, and this year we have selected 15 schools to take part, five of them in Sarawak, including SMK St Joseph,” he said at the outreach programme at his alma mater SMK St Joseph yesterday.
Lo said the programme is one of the ways Shell is giving back to society, as safety is a core part of their business, and he is personally glad to be back at his old school to impart road safety information to students.
Earlier, the former Josephian told the 242 Form 4 students who attended his talk at the school auditorium to always believe that accidents are preventable.
“We do this programme because we believe all accidents are preventable. Road users are our customers or potential customers, and we want everyone to enjoy our high performance quality products responsibly by getting to their destinations safely.
“Through this programme, we connect you emotionally on how it feels to be in an accident and learn how to avoid it. When you believe that accidents are preventable, the next step is to learn how to prevent them,” he said.
Lo revealed the statistics to the students, saying that Malaysia was ranked 20th in the world for the highest number of deaths from road crashes.
“Always check your cars or motorcycles before starting on a journey, particularly the brakes. When you are on the road, always obey the road rules because they are there to ensure everyone’s safety.
We want to educate them on the basic things that will keep them safe on the roads. They are the right audience to inculcate discipline, rules and respect for others on the road as they are at the age where they are getting to ride motorcycles or drive a car.
Minister of Local Government and Old Josephians Association chairman Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian, who was also present noted the importance of spending time at the old school as Lo did.
He acknowledged that the school had given him an opportunity to be who he is today, and hoped the present students would take a similar action for their school in the future.
“No matter how much money, how big the roads are, how big your cars are, it is still back to you.
“We hope students will benefit from the school, and 30 years from now you will give your time and create opportunities for the next generations,” he said.
He also encouraged the students to take part in the school’s 135th anniversary celebration.
Meanwhile, school principal Thomas Lau is pleased that many Old Josephians have done well and were coming back to the school for the # ShellSelamatSampai programme.
“We are excited with the interactive programme Iain ( Lo) has brought. We are lucky to be among the 15 selected schools. This benefits the students as they will be more aware about road safety.
“There is also a competition among the 15 schools. We will select 20 students to participate. Win or not is not important. It is through the process that they will learn something good, and hopefully, bring good impact to the rest of the students,” he said.
One of the Form 4 students, Raphael Karasu-third found the programme unique and interesting.
“It tells us how accidents occur. This is especially important when many of us are starting to learn to ride a motorcycle and we do not know things like blind spot in a vehicle.
“It heightens our awareness of safety on the road. We are not just responsible for our own safety but the safety of other road users,” he said.
Datuk Iain Lo, Shell Malaysia chairman