The Use of Safety Warning Triangle Among Malaysian Private Vehicle Users

Abstract

The Safety Warning Triangle (SWT) is a device to alert other road users on the hazard ahead. Currently, SWT usage in Malaysia is only mandatory for commercial vehicles. Therefore, this study aims to assess private vehicle (PV) users' knowledge and perception of SWT, and include a feasibility study to make SWT mandatory for PV. A total of 447 respondents answered an online survey and results show that almost 50% of PV users did not have clear understanding of SWT usage in terms of its practicality, even though 97% of them agreed on the necessity to use SWT if they face any emergency situation whilst on the road. Therefore, more initiatives including awareness campaigns and educational programs on the proper use of SWT are needed. As for the ideal SWT usage in Malaysia, after considering all the factors found in the review of international practices on SWT usage, two recommendations are proposed by the authors: (1) a similar concept applied in Japan to be referred to and implemented in Malaysia; (2) continue the current practices in Malaysia and to include private vehicles in the mandatory list.