Chairman's Foreword

The Road Safety Council (the Council) reached its 43rd Anniversary this year and it gives me great pleasure as the Chairman of the Council to present its Annual Report for 2016.

In 2016, there were 20 000 additional registered vehicles on Hong Kong’s roads, to make a total of 817 568, a 2.5% rise. The number of fatalities in traffic accidents increased by eight percent from 122 to 132, whilst the total number of casualties was 20 132, similar to the previous year’s figure of 20 381.

Taking into account the causation factors of traffic accidents in 2015 and the public concern, a priority - “Student Pedestrian Safety“ was added to make five main themes of road safety publicity in 2016. They are ”Elderly Pedestrian Safety“, ”Cycling Safety“, ”Anti-Drink and Anti-Drug Driving”, “Driving Attentively” and “Student Pedestrian Safety”.

Elderly Pedestrian Safety

Elderly pedestrians (aged 65 and above) remained the most vulnerable group prone to traffic accidents among all road users. Of the 132 fatalities in 2016, 46 were elderly pedestrians. The Council believes that the participation of the elderly and related organizations 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 and produced a music video called ‘Be a smart pedestrian’ to disseminate the message of Elderly Pedestrian Safety in 2016. Forty teams from elderly centres were invited to participate in the competition. The final competition and award presentation ceremony of the quiz competition were successfully held in January 2017 and the music video also achieved a remarkable success as it has been widely circulated throughout the Internet.

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 70 cycling safety training courses to students of 30 primary schools, 18 secondary schools and 5 youth related non-governmental organizations. These courses were well received by the trainees, the parents and the participating schools. In addition, the Council alongside Police Road Safety Teams organized the ‘Wise Ride 2016 Safe Cycling Promotion Campaign’ at Pak Shek Kok Promenade.

Anti-Drink and Anti-Drug Driving

In 2016, “Anti-Drink Driving” remained the focus of the Council. Concerted efforts to publicize 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 December 2016, the Council in partnership with traffic officers from the Hong Kong Police Force conducted an “Anti-Drink Driving” publicity campaign in Lan Kwai Fong promoting the message of “If you Drink, Don’t Drive!”.

Drug driving related traffic accidents decreased in 2016, 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 2016, the Council in partnership with Police Road Safety Teams organized 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. In February and November 2016, the Council and Police Road Safety Teams jointly, on two occasions held the ‘Attentive Driving Carnival cum Light Rail and MTR Bus Road Safety Campaign’ in Tuen Mun. The events successfully spread the messages of driving attentively and road safety to the public.

Student Pedestrian Safety

In the past few years, the casualty rate for pedestrians aged 10 to 14 was comparatively higher than other age groups apart from senior citizens aged 65 or above. As a result, the Council launched “Student Pedestrian Safety” as one of the five main themes of road safety publicity. In September 2016, the Council held its 43rd Anniversary Ceremony cum “Student Pedestrian Safety” Kick-off Ceremony at Hollywood Plaza in Diamond Hill for the purpose of raising the alertness of “Student Pedestrian Safety”. The student pedestrian safety mini film “Starting Point of Road Safety” was also premiered in the ceremony. The event was completed successfully and attracted wide media coverage.

Looking Ahead

In response to several serious traffic accidents involving road works that occurred in 2016, the Council decided to enhance publicity to arouse public awareness on the importance of driving attentively, particularly at road works; and driving attentively in unforeseen circumstances by producing TV and radio APIs, mini-movies, posters and leaflets.

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.

LAU Yip-shing
Chairman
Road Safety Council