Traffic signal needed at zebra crossing for pedestrians' safety: Miros

KUALA LUMPUR: A study carried out by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) revealed that there is a need in equipping zebra crossing with a traffic signal in order to ensure that vehicles stop for pedestrians by law.
Its chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said it was also recommended that the relevant law enforcement authorities issue summons or implement point deduction system if the drivers were found to have not given the right of way to pedestrians at zebra crossings.
"Miros has conducted an observation on pedestrians and drivers' behaviour at the signalised and unsignalised zebra crossing. Findings from the observation found that around 74% of the drivers do not give way to pedestrians at zebra crossing especially at unsignalised junctions.
"For signalised junctions, only 8.2% of them disobeyed the traffic rules (run red light) at zebra crossing. Meanwhile, 95.4% of pedestrians used "crosswalk" in a proper way at unsignalised junctions and 83.1% at signalised junctions," he told Bernama today.
Lee said surprisingly 8.3% of the drivers were observed using their mobile phone while driving at the zebra crossing. As for pedestrians, 6.8% were found to be using mobile phones while crossing the zebra lane at unsignalised junction and another 5.1% at signalised junction.
According to Lee, a study conducted in local university campus found that the willingness of drivers to stop for pedestrian crossing is also very low.
"Pedestrians may get a chance to cross if the vehicles are moving in groups. This situation may probably be due to the misunderstanding on the rule of the right of way at the unsignalised pedestrian crossing," he said.
Lee said pedestrians and vehicles in the country are considered as traffic that is bound by the Road Transport Act 1987. The act was enacted to make provision for the regulation of motor vehicles and traffic on roads and other matters with respect to roads and vehicles. — Bernama