The government is considering a reduction of the speed limit in school zones from the current 40 km/h to 30 km/h, deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said yesterday.
The cabinet committee on road safety and traffic congestion, which Zahid chairs, made the proposal in line with the World Health Organisation’s call to curb dangerous speeding, especially in vulnerable spots.
“The federal government will work with local authorities and schools to implement effective speed management systems, such as traverse bars and speed bumps in school zones to slow down the traffic,” he said at the Conference on Asia Road Safety (CARS) 2024 in Putrajaya yesterday, reported by NST.
If proven to be successful in reducing accidents, the authorities might consider expanding the 30 km/h limit. “If this initiative successfully reduces road crashes in school zones, we may consider expanding the 30 km/h limit to other suitable areas within cities to create a safer environment for vulnerable road users,” the DPM added.
This isn’t the first time that a 30 km/h school zone speed limit has been mentioned – in July, Zahid said that on average, 67 people die annually in school zones, and police statistics show that 322 road accidents were reported in school zones nationwide last year.
The Bagan Datuk MP cited international research saying that every 1 km/h of speed reduced would drop the fatality rate by 4-5%, and a speed reduction of 5% could reduce fatal accidents by 30%.
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