By Dayangku Hidayatul
KUCHING, Aug 14: ‘Black spots’ are identified through scientific criteria, with three similar crashes or five of different types within three years enough to flag a location under the Road Accident Management System (RAMS).
Works Minister Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi said RAMS uses specific accident-related data and criteria to determine whether a location qualifies as a black spot with the assessment covers a 50-metre radius or a 100-metre stretch of road.
“This is not something we simply decide and say, ‘Ah, this is a black spot.’ There is a scientific basis for identifying a location as a black spot,” he told reporters after officiating the Completion Ceremony of the RAMS Expansion Course and Road Accident Data Reporting According to PDRM K27 Standards here today.
Under RAMS, a location can be identified as a black spot if it records three accidents of the same type or five accidents of different types within a three-year period.
Locations meeting the criteria will then be prioritised for road safety treatments under the Road Safety Infrastructure Upgrading Programme.
Nanta, who is also Kapit MP, said the system allows authorities to identify locations where accidents occur frequently, and plan appropriate safety interventions based on data.
RAMS was developed under the Works Ministry’s MYJalan initiative to systematically manage and analyse road accident data, including identifying locations with frequent accidents.
Nanta said the system also integrates data from the Integrated Police Reporting System (i-PRS) under the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), which allows road safety interventions to be planned and implemented more accurately and swiftly.
He added accurate and quality data were important in planning safer, more efficient, and sustainable road infrastructure. — DayakDaily
