Syazwani Hj Rosli
Drivers and passengers not wearing seatbelts was one of the main reasons for the deaths following road accidents while speeding was the most common cause for the accidents, Royal Brunei Police Force’s (RBPF) Traffic Control and Investigation Department (JSKLL) Acting Director Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pengiran Haji Abdul Salam bin Pengiran Haji Abdul Ghani said.
This conclusion was made following initial reports, visits to the scene of the accident, examinations on the victims’ injuries and the damages to the vehicles.
SSP Pengiran Haji Abdul Salam made these comments during a press conference to review road accidents and offences for 2020 organised by the National Road Safety Council (MKKJR) at the Amar Pahlawan Hall of the Ministry of Transport and Info-communications (MTIC) yesterday.
A total of 506 cases of road accidents were recorded from January to June this year. Of this, 18 accidents involved motorcyclists while six lives were lost. SSP Pengiran Haji Abdul Salam said the majority of accidents reported to RBPF from January to June 2020 was along the highway, particularly the Muara-Tutong Highway.
He said accidents from January to June were also due to careless driving, especially when exiting intersections and tailgating another vehicle.
He also emphasised on negligence or not paying attention while driving such as using mobile phones or driving over the speed limit.
“The driver’s attitude in avoiding accidents is important for the safety of all. Road users should always be vigilant and considerate,” he said.
Quoting statistics, SSP Pengiran Haji Abdul Salam said male drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents compared to women with a 3:1 ratio. However, he said the overall number of users needs to be taken into account while it is very likely that there are more male drivers than female drivers in Brunei.
He said 70 per cent of the accidents reported for the six months of this year involved locals and 21 per cent foreigners while the highest percentage of them are Malaysians. SSP Pengiran Haji Abdul Salam also touched on the common cause of fatal accidents based on the results of investigation and it is believed that all victims, either the driver or passengers, did not wear seatbelts. He said from the six deaths, one involved the passenger.
“Among the causes of death are serious injuries to the head and cervical, vascular injury and open pelvic fractures, hand factures and wounds on the face. Severe head injuries were often the cause of death,” he added.
“It is important to wear seatbelts, as it can prevent drivers and passengers from being thrown away or hitting the windshield, dashboard, steering wheels and others.”