Making of safe, good drivers

THE Minister of Communications last Saturday highlighted a very serious issue in which he expressed concern over the rise in road accidents involving young drivers. Quoting statistics from the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), the minister said 16 of this year's 45 road fatalities were among those between the age group of 21 and 30.

This phenomenon is not just confined to Brunei Darussalam, in fact, all over the world motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among the young people, killing more people than malaria.

In this regard, Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdullah Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar, who is also National Road Safety Council (NRSC) adviser, should be commended for starting a campaign targeting the young drivers.

The minister is right when he says the young drivers are very efficient at driving but with youth comes exuberance, over-confidence and sometimes arrogance. This results in the youngsters pushing the boundaries in which they sometimes disregard driving and road safety ethics.

This is the reason why the minister stressed the need for nurturing and instilling the right driving ethics among the young drivers.

Various researches have shown that lack of experience, age and gender are the three main reasons why young drivers have such high crash rates.

So what is the way out? Of course, one cannot produce safe young drivers overnight but if the road safety education is imparted at a young age, it can go a long way in saving human lives and producing better and safe drivers.

In this regard, the Ministry of Communications' initiative of including road safety rules in the national curriculum is highly recommended and appreciated.

If the youngsters are taught about road safety driving rules at an early age, they'll become safe and good drivers when they reach the driving age.