Bandar Seri Begawan - Road safety education is important. Through that, we can save a life today, tomorrow and the day after.

This was lauded by Awang Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Hj Mohd Yusof, the Acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications as the Chairman of the National Road Safety Council during an interview yesterday for the distribution of Demerit Points System booklets.

Around 1,000 booklets on the Demerit Points System were distributed nationwide in all the four districts by Brunei Shell Marketing Co Sdn Bhd in collaboration with the Brunei National Road Safety Council yesterday as a sustained effort to improve road safety in the country.

The main area of distribution is at the TAIB filling station in Beribi whereby Awang Abdul Mutalib handed out the booklets to the drivers stopping by the filling station.

Also handing out the booklets were Hj Mohd Sufri bin Hj Sulaiman, Brunei Shell Marketing (BSM) Managing Director; Awang Yusof bin Hj Abd Rahman, the Managing Director of Perbadanan TAIB; Dr Hj Supry bin Hj Awang Ladi, the Acting Director of Transport Policy under the Ministry of Communications; Senior Supt Awg Hj Azahari bin Awang Besar, the Acting Director of Traffic Control and Investigation Department of the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF); as well as BSM leadership team.

Awang Abdul Mutalib said, "This BSM and Ministry of Communications joint initiative is to promote road safety, and is a follow-up to the recently launched road safety campaign by the Ministry of Communications and the National Road Safety Council together with the private sector.

He added, "What we are doing now is not just to touch on the Demerit Points System but also to promote road safety awareness to the public. Drivers' responsibilities play a big role in road safety, and we are here to remind them of that.

"We have about six to seven months to enforce the Demerit Points System, therefore for the first 12 months; we are promoting awareness so that the public can learn about the system and absorb valuable information, instead of just penalising them immediately for road offences."

Awang Abdul Mutalib conveyed his appreciation to all the stakeholders involved, especially to BSM who came forward to personally conduct the initiative.

According to Hj Mohd Sufri, "The Demerit Points System is established with the aim of securing political commitment for road traffic injury prevention in the country.

"Today's event is to raise awareness and inform those who may not be aware of these new laws and hopefully improve public acceptance of road safety measures."

Meanwhile in the Temburong District, the distribution of the booklet was held at Koperasi Minyak Melayu Brunei Berhad filling station led by Temburong Legislative Council Representative, YB Awang Hj Sulaiman bin Hj Ahad; and BSM's Head of Commercial, Hj Mat Sarudin bin Hj Ismail.

In the Tutong District, it was Awang Shamsul Bahrin bin Hj Mohd Hussain, a member of the Brunei National Road Safety Council; Zainee DP Hj Kassim, BSM Finance Manager; and Munir Ahmed Shahani, the Head of HSSE, who handed out the booklets to the road users at PHA Bakar Retail Station.

As for the Belait District, Awang Hj Haris bin Hj Othman, the Belait District Officer as a member of the Brunei National Road Safety Council, led the representatives from BSM, Hj Suffian bin Hj Mohd Daud, Head of Competence and Administration; and Rommel G Rosales, Supply Distribution Manager, in the distribution whereby 200 booklets were handed out.

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin