Shell Promotes National Road Safety Efforts Through Dialogue

Jelaing Mersat, Deputy Minister of Transport, officiated the launch which was attended by Azman Ismail, Managing Director, Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd. Also at the event were director generals and deputies of the participating agencies as well as 150 participants from various industries, ministries, agencies and Shell’s hauliers who came together to exchange ideas and information on how to improve road safety management in the country.

The multi-sector initiative is organised ahead of the launch of the “WHO Decade of Action for Road Safety” in May, proclaimed by the United Nations to arrest and ultimately reduce the trend in global road deaths caused by the increasing numbers in road accidents and fatalities by 2020.

In his speech, Azman said: “In Shell, safety is paramount... We aim for Goal Zero which means relentlessly pursuing no harm to people and no significant incidents, i.e. – zero fatality and zero lost time injury.”

Road safety is an integral part of Shell Malaysia’s operations. Its hauliers employ 780 drivers who make 400,000 trips or 64 million kilometres a year on Malaysian roads to deliver products nationwide.  

The company has clear Life Saving Rules which sets out clear and simple “do’s and don’ts” covering activities with the highest potential safety risks, including road operations.

Expanding on their internal road safety initiatives, Azman said: “Shell has devoted significant resources over the years to develop its hauliers into professional companies and safety partners, by focusing on 4 key pillars: vehicle management, driver management, journey management and safety management.”

To augment these initiatives, Shell constantly reviews and incorporates the most current available technology in pursuit of road safety such as the use of Global Positioning System to track tankers and record driver behaviour.

Road safety is also a key focus area in the multinational’s corporate social responsibility programme. The dialogue aims to reach a broader audience by generating ideas on road safety improvement in Malaysia.

”Shell Malaysia will continue to promote road safety relentlessly, not just internally by educating Shell drivers, but by working with the relevant government agencies and departments to make Malaysian roads safer through community programmes and partnerships,” said Azman.

Shell’s community initiatives include road safety campaigns for the public during the high-risk festival period; defensive driving courses and safety awareness talks for taxi and bus drivers, and students through National Service Camps and University programmes; working with JKJR to compile a code of conduct for road safety; and participating as a mentor in cross-knowledge sharing events.

Shell invests over RM1 million annually into the Shell Traffic Games programme throughout Malaysia to teach students the various aspects of road safety. Each year, about 40,000 Malaysian schoolchildren participate in this programme which is organised with the Ministry of Education Malaysia and state Road Safety Councils. It is one of Shell's and possibly the nation's longest running corporate social responsibility programmes.

At the launch of the dialogue, Shell Malaysia presented a mock cheque of RM1 million as a demonstration of its steadfast commitment towards running the Shell Traffic Games this year. 

Panelists at the Dialogue:

• Ir Mohamad Dalib, Automotive Engineering Director, Road Transport Department
• Professor Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah, Director General, MIROS
• En Muhammad Heeza Hassan, Director Road Safety Department Wilayah Persekutuan
• Pn Qamar Wan Noor, General Manager, Business Development (East), Shell Malaysia Trading

Moderator: Hezeri Samsuri, Senior Writer, Cars.Bikes.Trucks, New Straits Times Press

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ENQUIRIES:

For further editorial information, please contact Shell Malaysia Media Relations:

Peing Tajang at tel: +603 2091 2161, email: peing.tajang@shell.com or Stephanie Khoo at tel: +603 2091 2115, email: stephanie.khoo@shell.com