Datuk Jean Todt urges Anwar Ibrahim to make road safety an agenda in Malaysia

UN Special Envoy for Road Safety, Datuk Jean Todt, is urging Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Federal government to get serious about saving lives on the roads by making road safety one of the main agenda.

According to an exclusive interview with The Vibes, the former Ferrari boss is urging Malaysia to enforce the relevant laws to deal with the high number of road deaths and reduce the accident rate.

"There's no point in having laws if sometimes you don't enforce them.Yes, the law is out there, but it needs to be enforced. You (the government) may not be popular, but eventually, you will become popular because you  save lives on the road", said Todt.

"Malaysia's situation is almost similar to some European countries and Australia about 30 or 40 years ago until they decided to put road safety as the main agenda and deal with it," he said.

During the interview, Todt did admit that Malaysia has better road infrastructure than other countries in the region,but Malaysia must implement effective speed limit monitoring and increase enforcement other areas.

Todt met up with Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook last Thursday and proposed several measures to the ministry, including the involvement of voices in the community to support efforts to save lives on the roads.

"In my capacity as a UN special envoy, I have to work hard so that you don't lose momentum," said Todt, who has lost a friend in a road accident.

He also took the opportunity to highlight the importance of empowering the Malaysian Road Safety Council and forming the highest committee at Cabinet level.