Chairman’s Foreword

The Road Safety Council (the Council) reached its 42nd Anniversary this year and it gives me great pleasure as the Chairman of the Council to present its Annual Report for 2015.

Almost 28 000 vehicles were newly registered in 2015 bringing it to a total of 797 634 registered vehicles on Hong Kong’s roads, an increase of 3.7 per cent as compared with 2014. The number of fatalities in traffic accidents increased from 100 to 122, representing an increase of 22%. Traffic accidents involving drink driving also increased from 221 cases in 2014 to 264 cases in 2015.

Taking into account the causation factors of traffic accidents in 2014 and public concerns, the road safety promotion priorities will continue to be Elderly Pedestrian Safety, Cycling Safety, Anti-Drink Driving, Anti-Drug Driving and Driving Attentively.

Elderly Pedestrian Safety

Elderly pedestrians (aged 65 and above) remained to be the most vulnerable group prone to traffic accidents among all road users. Of the 122 fatalities in 2015, 49 were elderly pedestrians. The Council believes that the participation of the elderly and related organisations in road safety education is instrumental to our ongoing efforts. To raise awareness among the elderly, the Council partnered with Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) to hold a phone-in road safety quiz competition in 2015 highlighting the message of ‘Love yourself, Love your family, Be a smart pedestrian’. Forty teams from elderly centres were invited to participate in the competition and Senior Police Call members were engaged as road safety ambassadors. The final competition and award presentation ceremony of the quiz competition was successfully held in January 2016.

Cycling Safety

In view of the growing popularity of cycling, Cycling Safety remained one of the Council’s key priorities. The Council continued to employ qualified trainers to deliver 61 cycling safety training courses to students of 37 primary schools and 18 secondary schools. In addition, the Council alongside Police Road Safety Teams organised the ‘Safe Cycling Promotion cum Safety Ambassador Scheme Award Presentation Ceremony’ at Tseung Kwan O Waterfront Park and the ‘Cycling Safety Promotion Campaign 2015’ outside Central Piers. Cycling safety ambassadors were appointed to help promote cycling safety awareness.

Anti-Drink Driving

In 2015, Anti-Drink Driving remained the focus of the Council. Concerted efforts to publicise and educate road users continued with an encouraging year-on-year drop in the number of drink driving related traffic accidents. Stressing the serious consequences of drink driving, promotional banners and stickers, Television and Radio Announcements in the Public Interest (APIs) and social media reinforced the message of ‘If you drink, don’t drive’. In November 2015, the Road Safety Council 42nd Anniversary Ceremony was held with a focus on Anti-Drink Driving. It was followed by a leaflet distribution in the nearby entertainment and bar area in Stanley Plaza.

Anti-Drug Driving

Drug driving related traffic accidents were contained in 2015, as a result of our collaborative efforts. Promotional banners on flyovers, bus body advertisements, APIs as well as social media were deployed to remind motorists of the tragic impact of Drug Driving on the community. In October 2015, the Council organised the ‘No Drug and No Drink Driving Bus Parade’ at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza attracting wide media coverage.

Driving Attentively

As driving inattentively has been the top causation factor for driver related traffic accidents over the years, the Council continued to promote Driving Attentively to remind drivers to stay alert whilst driving. Relevant APIs have been broadcast on TV and radio since January 2015. The Council also displayed promotional banners with the slogan ‘No Distractions, Driving Attentively’ on flyovers and other media platforms.

Looking Ahead

Apart from elderly pedestrians, students aged 10-14 are found to be another vulnerable group involved in traffic accidents. The Council will enhance publicity to promote Student Pedestrian Safety in 2016. Through a multi-agency and community-based approach, the Council will focus on enhancing public awareness of road safety to reduce traffic accidents.

Lastly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our Council members who again selflessly provided their professional advice and wholeheartedly supported our efforts in mobilizing the community to improve road safety. The Council faces increasing challenges with more vehicles on the road, but I am confident that with our concerted efforts we will make our roads safer. We will strive to achieve our vision – ‘Zero Accidents on the Road, Hong Kong’s Goal’ in collaboration with our community partners.

WONG Chi-hung, Tony
Chairman
Road Safety Council

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