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Myanmar’s traffic officials seek to battle alarming rise in road deaths

Drunk drivers, people who drive while using their phones and do not buckle their seatbelts, and motorcyclists who ride without helmets are all contributing to a fourfold rise in the number of road accidents over the past few years, says the Myanmar government. Now the Transport Ministry has set up a new body to reduce the carnage on the nation’s roads.

Since importation laws were relaxed in 2011 resulting in an influx of cars, accident figures have been rising every year.  Photo: The Myanmar Times

Since importation laws were relaxed in 2011 resulting in an influx of cars, accident figures have been rising every year. Photo: The Myanmar Times

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Drunk drivers, people who drive while using their phones and do not buckle their seatbelts, and motorcyclists who ride without helmets are all contributing to a fourfold rise in the number of road accidents over the past few years, says the Myanmar government. Now the Transport Ministry has set up a new body to reduce the carnage on the nation’s roads.

The government has set itself the target of cutting road deaths in half by 2020. The new National Road Safety Council has now laid down strategies to meet that target. One tactic could be the introduction of roadside breathalysers.

The council wants motorcyclists to wear helmets, and car drivers to stop using phones while driving, to wear seat belts and to avoid driving under the influence of alcohol. There could also be a crackdown on the estimated 1.5 million people driving without a licence. Road Safety Council chair vice-president Henry Van Thio said, “We aim to cut road fatalities by half by 2020.”

Since the huge and sudden influx of cars that began with relaxed importation laws in 2011, accident figures have been rising every year. In 2013, 3,721 people died in 13,912 accidents. The number of fatalities rose to 4,313 in 2014 and 4,420 in 2015. So far this year, the death toll is at 2,226.

Police Director General Zaw Win said efforts by traffic police to educate the public in the dangers of mobile phone use at the wheel had not worked. “More people are using their phones while driving than ever,” he said.

Outside Yangon, motorcycles greatly outnumber cars, especially in rural areas, where the death toll is high. Mr Ko Aye, who lives in Aye Chan Thar village tract in Naypyidaw’s Lewe township, said, “No one uses bicycles now in villages. Everyone is using motorbikes because they’re useful and efficient.

“But deaths and injuries from collisions happen all the time.”

As road deaths multiply even on the famously empty roads of Naypyidaw, civil servants — a large proportion of the capital’s population — are being targeted for driver education. The number of accidents in the capital in 2014 was 335, rising to 371 last year. In 2014-15, the number of deaths on the road rose from 164 to 192. So far this year there have been 221 accidents, resulting in 114 deaths, said Naypyidaw council member Tin Tun.

Mr Tin Tun blamed motorists for flouting traffic rules and driving carelessly. “Drunken driving, particularly at night, is a major factor,” he said, adding that road safety education was targeting government departments because of the high number of civil servants involved in accidents.

About 10,000 people, including bureaucrats, have attended educational programmes on road safety, classes are set to continue, as mobile teams deliver lessons in the townships of Nay Pyi Taw.

Pyinmana town resident Mr Ko Maung Tar said the roads in Naypyidaw were so wide it was difficult to guess the speed of oncoming vehicles. “Motorists and motorcyclists may not be drunk, but they drive too fast. They misjudge the speed of other vehicles and they lose control,” he said. As with other cities, particularly Yangon, the number of vehicles in Naypyidaw has been rising for the past several years.

In Mandalay Region alone, with about 180,000 registered cars, there are nearly 1.3 million motorcycles, said Mr Myat Tun Kyaw, the head of the region’s Road Transport Administration Department. He added that his department had issued only 900,000 driving licences, suggesting that in Mandalay Region as many as 400,000 people are on the road without a licence. Nationwide, the picture is more worrying. In May last year, RTAD director general Lyan Kyint Man said: “According to our statistics, there are about five million vehicles on the road, but only 3.5 million licences have been issued. That means about 1.5 million people are driving unlicensed.” Since then, the number of vehicles has risen to 5.6 million.

Road deaths involving motorcycles are also rising. Mr Win Khant, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, said, “In April 2016, road accidents involving two-wheeled vehicles represented 53.35 per cent of total accidents, including 52 per cent of injuries and more than 45 per cent of deaths.” Motorcycles represent 83.62 per cent of the total number of vehicles. During a visit to Myanmar last month, United Nations special envoy for road safety Jean Todt stressed the need for helmet and seat belt use.

Naypyidaw council member Tin Tun said drunk driving also contributed to the rising death and accident toll. The council is working on a plan to introduce breathalysers. And Mr Win Aung, chair of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, suggested installing flashing roadside signs to deter speeding.

Despite widespread criticism of infrastructural problems, particularly along the Yangon-Naypyidaw highway, Mr Zaw Win said, “95 per cent of road accidents are caused by human error.” THE MYANMAR TIMES

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