Experts Meet To Find Ways to Enhance Road Safety at the Conference of ASEAN Road Safety 2015

 Deputy Transport Minister of Malaysia, YB Datuk Abdul Aziz Kaprawi officially opening CARS2015

As the United Nations’ Decade of Action for Road Safety reaches its mid-point, the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) gathered the region’s top experts to galvanise efforts to enhance road safety at the ASEAN Road Safety 2015 (CARS 2015).

The 4-day Conference of ASEAN Road Safety 2015 (CARS 2015) is the first ever road safety event organised on a regional scale and saw the participation of more than 300 experts, comprising policy makers, scientists, researchers, practitioners, law enforcers, academicians and a wide range of public and private organisations from ASEAN region.

It was being held at the Berjaya Times Square Hotel from the 3rd to the 6th of November 2015.

PRESS RELEASE

CONFERENCE OF ASEAN ROAD SAFETY 2015

Top Experts Meet To Find Ways to Enhance Road Safety in ASEAN

KUALA LUMPUR, 3 NOVEMBER 2015: As the United Nations’ Decade of Action for

Road Safety reaches its mid-point, the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research

(MIROS) gathered the region’s top experts to galvanise efforts to enhance road safety.

The 4-day Conference of ASEAN Road Safety 2015 (CARS 2015) is the first ever road

safety event organised on a regional scale and saw the participation of more than 300

experts, comprising policy makers, scientists, researchers, practitioners, law enforcers,

academicians and a wide range of public and private organisations from ASEAN region.

Held at the Berjaya Times Square Hotel from 3rd to 6

“Road Safety: Addressing the Bottom Billions” to reflect the majority of the region’s

population who are in the middle and lower income categories. The conference decided

to focus on the middle and lower income groups as they are exposed to higher risks of

road trauma because many of them are motorcycle riders, while drivers are less likely to

be able to afford cars packed with safety features.

Recognising that road trauma has an incredible impact on the health and economic

growth of all nations, the United Nations announced 2011 to 2020 as the Decade of

Action for Road Safety with the aim of reducing the number of road accidents globally.

At the start of the decade in 2011, more than 75,000 people died in road crashes in

ASEAN countries and many more sustained long term injuries. In Malaysia, the Royal

Malaysian Police recorded 476,196 cases of road accidents in 2014, with 6,187

Appointed as the ASEAN Road Safety Centre in November 2014, MIROS is taking the

lead to enhance road safety in the region by gathering experts to exchange insights and

findings to improve road safety efforts further.

“While each country has their respective road safety enforcement, advocacy and

research agencies, we believe that by synergising our efforts and knowledge, we can

achieve better results. Efforts to improve road safety is no doubt a priority of all

governments, as traffic accidents can result in damages to vehicles, injuries and loss of

lives,” said Deputy Transport Minister of Malaysia, YB Datuk Abdul Aziz Kaprawi, who

officiated the opening of CARS 2015.

A total of 63 research papers were submitted and discussed at the conference. The

papers revolve around these topics: Road Safety Management, Sustainable

Infrastructure, Vehicle Safety, Road Users, Pre and Post-crash Trauma, Safety

Technology, and a special topic on Motorcycle Safety. At the end of CARS 2015, some

of the outstanding papers will be published in the Journal of Transportation Safety and

Security on “Road Safety in Developing Countries”.

“We will use CARS 2015 as a launch pad to establish a regional network of road safety

experts. This synergy will allow for continuous cooperation and alignment of road safety

efforts across the region,” said MIROS Director-General Professor Dr. Wong Shaw

About Conference of ASEAN Road Safety 2015 (CARS2015)

The inaugural Conference of ASEAN Road Safety 2015 (CARS2015) (was previously

branded as ARSC2015) aims to bring together policy makers, scientists, researchers,

practitioners, law enforcers, academicians and a wide range of public and private

organizations from the region, with an interest in the future of road safety. The

conference will be held in Kuala Lumpur, the federal capital of Malaysia, on 3 - 6

November 2015. It will be a premier platform for bringing together the key players in

road safety within the Southeast Asia region as well as in the Asia Pacific region.

About Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS)

The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) was established in 2007 as

an agency under the Ministry on Transport Malaysia (MOT) to serve as a central

repository of knowledge and information on road safety. The findings derived from

research and evidence-based intervention programmes provide the basis for the

formulation of new strategies, legislations, policies, and enforcement measures,

governing road safety at the national level. Principally engaged in research, MIROS

collaborates closely with local and international government agencies and private bodies

to further the cause of road safety, serving as a one-stop centre for the generation and

dissemination of road safety information and data.

About ASEAN Road Safety Centre

The proposal for ASEAN Road Safety Centre (ARSC) was presented on 14 May 2013 at

the 4th Meeting of ASEAN Multisector Road Safety Special Working Group (MRSSWG)

by MIROS. The Meeting noted that the proposed Centre will aim to provide knowledge

about the situation concerning road safety in ASEAN Member States which include

information on the following: traffic laws and regulations, road accident data, road

transport data, vehicle regulations concerning standard and inspections, driver training

and driver testing, traffic police activities, road safety training in schools, road safety

information/campaigns to the community.

Subsequently the 20th ASEAN Transport Ministers Meeting (ATM) on 27 November

2014 in Mandalay, Myanmar welcomed the appointment of Malaysian Institute of Road

Safety Research (MIROS) as the ASEAN Regional Road Safety Centre. The aims of this

centre are to promote and provide knowledge on road safety issues among ASEAN

Member States.

Read More

ASEAN NCAP – SAFER CARS FOR ASEAN REGION & ASEAN NCAP CHILD SAFETY DAY ON 11 NOVEMBER 2015

Just so you folks know, I've published the press release below for everyone's benefit.

To approach the child safety concerns, the New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP), a body that gives ratings to vehicles with child occupant protection, will be organizing an ASEAN NCAP Child Safety Day. The event will be held on 11 November 2015 at Autoliv Hirotako Safety Sdn. Bhd. The objectives of the event are to promote the use of child restraint system (CRS) and to introduce the standards related to CRS to the general public. The highlight of the event will be a demonstration to evaluate the performance of child seat.

You will also find a somewhat details description on how the tests determine the safety standard of the cars tested.

PRESS RELEASE

ASEAN NCAP – SAFER CARS FOR ASEAN REGION

ASEAN NCAP Child Safety Day

Kajang, 16 October 2015 – Child occupant safety inside a vehicle is one of the most concerned topics discussed recently. There have been incidents whereby a child could have been saved if he/she was properly restrained. Even the vehicle itself plays a significant role in providing protection to the child occupant with child safety fitment system.

To approach the child safety concerns, the New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN NCAP), a body that gives ratings to vehicles with child occupant protection, will be organizing an ASEAN NCAP Child Safety Day. The event will be held on 11 November 2015 at Autoliv Hirotako Safety Sdn. Bhd. The objectives of the event are to promote the use of child restraint system (CRS) and to introduce the standards related to CRS to the general public. The highlight of the event will be a demonstration to evaluate the performance of child seat.

ASEAN NCAP Chairman, Prof. Dr. Wong Shaw Voon said, “ASEAN NCAP Child Safety Day is a positive step towards promoting the importance of using CRS. CRS is able to minimize the risk of a child being fatally injured when involved in an accident. We are also inviting a speaker from Japan New Car Assessment Program (JNCAP) to share their experiences in CRS and hope to educate the public on this.”

According to ASEAN NCAP Secretary-General, Mr. Khairil Anwar Abu Kassim, “We have been planning the event since middle of this year. The timing is opportune with the recent complaint we received from a consumer regarding the removal of top tether in one of our tested vehicles”. He added that top tether is an important component to improve child protection system inside a vehicle apart from ISOFIX. However, Khairil also emphasized that, “The significant value of top tether can only be seen when the child is restraint inside a child seat. If no child seat is used, with or without top tether, it will not make any difference of protecting the child inside the vehicle.”

ASEAN NCAP Child Safety Day event at Autoliv is spearheaded by Mr. Yahaya Ahmad, ASEAN NCAP child safety expert. Yahaya said the Child Safety Day aims to promote safe travelling with children. He added, “Other than simply using child seats, it is also important to correctly install child seats inside a vehicle by parents or care givers in order to obtain maximum protection. Hence, we are also arranging for an expert to perform a demo on how to use child seat correctly.”

Currently the ASEAN NCAP Child Safety is only opened to invited guests. Interested parties who would like to attend the event are encouraged to register themselves with ASEAN NCAP Communications Officer, Mrs. Salina Mustaffa at 03-89249200 (ext. 425) by 30 October 2015 as only limited seats are available.

ASEAN NCAP

ASEAN NCAP is a new addition to the NCAP organizations around the world, which is targeted to enhance safety standards, raise consumer awareness and thus encourage a market for safer vehicles in the Southeast Asia region (ASEAN community). This is a collaborative effort by MIROS and Global NCAP, in which the latter funded the pilot phase of the project. ASEAN NCAP is also supported by the membership of Automobile Associations from Malaysia (AAM), the Philippines (AAP), Singapore (AA Singapore), Cambodia (AAC) and Thailand (RAAT).

Currently, ASEAN NCAP Steering Committee (SC) is chaired by the Director-General of MIROS/ASEAN NCAP Chairman, Prof. Dr. Wong Shaw Voon and the Technical Committee (TC) is chaired by the ASEAN NCAP Secretary-General, Mr. Khairil Anwar Abu Kassim.

Frontal Offset Crash Test

Frontal Offset crash test is conducted by having crash test dummies (Hybrid III 50th percentile - male) at both the driver and front passenger seats and two child dummies (P3 and P1.5) inside the child restraint system (CRS) in the test car that moves at 63 km/h (closing speed) when it hit a crash barrier (crushable aluminium barrier). The test results are described below.

• Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) – Driver & Front Passenger

The result from sensors installed in the dummies and at the body of the car will be analyzed and classified by human body region. To sum up, the worst result from each dummy (implies injury level; compared) by body region is considered and accumulated (A). The assessment on the vehicle is also carried out to consider real-world situation known as “modifier” assessment (B). Any “penalty” (B) will be deducted from the previous score (A) to produce the final score (C = A – B). Out of 16 points (C), the star rating will be determined by the following scheme.

Score	Star Rating
14.00–16.00	✶✶✶✶✶
11.00–13.99	✶✶✶✶
8.00–10.99	✶✶✶
5.00–7.99	✶✶
2.00–4.99	✶
0.00–1.99	Zero Star

• Child Occupant Protection (COP) – 3-year-old and 18-month-old Infant

The result for child occupants will be based on the CRS used in the test as well as the injury level read by the in-dummy sensors. The P3 and and P1.5 child dummies represent 3-year-old and 18-month-old infant, respectively. Thus, by test definition, the result can be defined as “the level of protection for the child occupant by using the stated CRS model in that car with specified (available) CRS attachment method e.g. by using ISOFIX, top tether or solely seatbelt”.

The final result that is in percentage-based will be derived from the following scheme.

Child Occupant Rating Scheme
Dynamic Test	24/24
CRS Based Assessment	12/12
Vehicle Based Assessment	13/13
TOTAL	49/49
Compliance Percentage	100%

From September 2013, star rating is also applied in COP which previously stated only the percentage of compliance. The star rating will be determined by the following scheme.

Compliance Score (Percentage)	Star Rating
43.00–49.00 (>87%)	✶✶✶✶✶
34.00–42.00 (69%–86%)	✶✶✶✶
25.00–33.99 (51%–68%)	✶✶✶
15.00–24.99 (31%–50%)	✶✶
0.01–14.99 (0.02%–30%)	✶
0.00 (0%)	Zero-Star

New Pre-requisite

Starting January 2015, side impact test (UN R95) was introduced as a new pre-requisite in AOP for 3-Star and above (pass-fail).

ASEAN NCAP Rating Plate – Results Simplified for Public Consumption

As the result of the test is primarily for public consumption i.e. for consumers to consider the quality of safety protection offered by the car model based on NCAP assessment, they can simply refer to the star rating for AOP as well as COP. Due to the above mentioned changes in the rating scheme, a new result plate is introduced effective from September 2013.

About MIROS – The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) is an agency under the Ministry of Transport (MOT) Malaysia focusing on road safety R&D activities.

About Global NCAP – Global NCAP is a non-profit organization registered in the United Kingdom which aims to encourage the worldwide availability of independent consumer information about the safety of motor vehicles.

Read More