Racer Jazeman roped in for Johor road safety drive

ISKANDAR PUTERI:

One of Malaysia's bright young motor racing car stars Jazeman Jaafar ( pic) will be actively involved in a long-term road safety campaign to be launched by Johor.

He has been appointed as the second deputy chairman of the state Road Safety Council – which was revived after it was deregistered in 1982 – to address growing concerns over fatal accident rates.

Jazeman’s name was mentioned among the 15-men committee lineup during the launch of the state Road Safety Campaign logo in conjunction with Johor Berkemajuan Ekspo here yesterday.

“The first step is to attend the World Road Safety Council confer- ence in Amsterdam to share knowledge and look for the latest technologies that can be used in Johor.

“The road infrastructure in Johor is already good, it is just that we are looking to modernise it with technologies to make the road system better and to reduce road accidents,” he said.

Jazeman added that there was a need to change the mindset and mentality of road users and cultivate better driving habits.

Apart from Jazemen, Johor roped in renowned funnyman Harith Iskander as a celebrity icon for the campaign. Harith, who was present at the launch ceremony, had the crowd in stitches with his entertaining remarks.

The patron for the Road Safety Council is Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Iskandar Sultan Ibrahim while state Public Works, Rural and Regional Development exco Datuk Hasni Mohamad serves as the chairman.

Last year alone, Johor recorded 73,116 accident cases that contributed to 1,135 deaths, most of which involved motorcyclists and pillion riders aged between 16 and 25 years, said Hasni.

“We hope that the campaign, set to be launched next year, will be impactful and instil responsible driving values among motorists especially the younger ones,” he added.