The challenges of ISI publication

Lately, there has been disputed as to whether the university academics should emphasise on publishing in quality journals particularly those listed in the Institute for Scientific Institution (ISI) index or concentrate to othe academic aspects such as teaching and learning

Road safety is your responsibility

It's time to change our attitude

According to statistics, road accidents were increasing from sunrise to sunrise, regardless of many road safety reminders such as "Drive Carefully", "Speed kills", "Drive, walk and ride safely" or "You can make the difference". If Malaysian unenviable accident statistics are anything to go by, it would be seem that Malaysian road users are still foolhardy, indifferent and forgetful, despite of being inundated by safety slogans along the roads.

Road carnage is a great loss for society as day in, day out, a wife loses her husband, children lose their father, a mother loses her child and the nation loses its citizen on the street. Despite the grim road fatality numbers, many road users remain nonchalant when it comes to safety issues.

Various attempts has been taken to tackle this problem, especially road safety exercises conducted during major festive periods and holidays each year to help change the attitudes of those behind the wheels. However, the road users especially motorists apparently tend to revert to their old driving or riding habits once or even before the exercises is over. The public perception on the road death defies logic, with public remaining indifferent to the road safety, and the society's overall awareness on the road safety remains low.

The causes of accidents are often attributed carelessness, speeding, recklessness driving and taking dangerous risks on the roads. Other factors, such as conditions of the roads and cars, also contributed to accidents, but to a lesser extent.
One of the effective ways to reduce road causalities is by encouraging the use of public transportation, which boast a better safety record, especially during the 'balik kampung' rush. Several public transportation are considered safe, as town busse, taxies, light rail transits and monorails are recommended, while for intercity travel, trains and commuter trains are suggested.

In a nutshell, road safety is the responsibily of all road users, and a change in the prevailing driving attitude is the most important attribute in avoiding road tragedies


VOCABULARIES

foolhardy - thoughtlessly bold

carnage - the slaughter of a great number of people

grim - fierce, savage, or cruel

nonchalant - coolly unconcerned

defies - resist boldly or openly

in a nutshell - in very brief form; in a few words

prevailing - generally current