Warning on drink-driving

WORRYING: It was the cause of most accidents during Gawai festival

KUCHING:  DRUNK driving was  the cause of most accidents on the Sarawak stretch of the Pan Borneo Highway during the Gawai Dayak last June, according to a recent  study by the Sarawak Road Safety Council.

Doing the Gawai ngabang (visiting) by car to visit relatives and friends in longhouses while under the influence of alcohol was the main cause of the unusually high number of accidents on the highway, said the council's deputy director, Redzuan Hamdan.

He was speaking after joining the Petronas Jom Merdeka Raya Bersama Petronas road safety campaign drive along the Samarahan Expressway.

At least 20 people lost their lives in this year's Gawai road crashes. Among them was a senior editor of a local newspaper.

Redzuan said he feared the long holidays could encourage people to return to their longhouses for a reunion with relatives and friends during which alcohol would usually be served.

"Hopefully, there will be not be that many drunk drivers on the road," he said.

The 2,083km highway that stretches from here to Kota Kinabalu via Brunei, has two lanes.

It has no divider to separate the two lanes, which is why head-on collisions are common.

The highway, for the most part, is also unlit.

Redzuan, however, said the highway was safe.

"Engineering-wise, the highway is safe. We have few blind spots and drivers do not suffer from road hypnosis.

"It is just that the highway is narrow and congested."

Redzuan said while the number of vehicles taking to the highway during the festive seasons was four times more than that of normal days, drivers needed to observe road safety tips and adopt more defensive driving techniques.

He suggested that drivers drive at the correct and safe speed of 80kph, and not 120kph as many were doing on the highway.

Redzuan also appealed to timber companies to take their logging trucks off the major roads during the festive rush.