1.A survey among guardians on child restraint system (crs) usage in central peninsular Malaysia
Noor Faradila P. ; Aqbal Hafeez A. ; Azhar H. ; Mohd Syazwan S.
Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine 2016;16(Special Volume (1)):1-6
Children are much more likely than adults to get serious injuries in car crashes due to their softer bones, weaker
neck muscle and fragile bodies. Child restraint system (CRS) can help in reduce injury and prevent fatality in the
event of a crash. Thus the aim of this paper is to gauge the prevalence of CRS usage among guardians of children age
below 11 years old. A survey to addressed guardians knowledge on CRS usage, practice and their views on fitting
child restraints system to their vehicles were carried out among parents and carers who are caring children aged 11
years old and below. Seventy-four percent (74%) out of 500 respondents cited they have used CRS, however only 40%
of them is currently using CRS with their children. Respondent in Kuala Lumpur and younger guardians reported
twice likely to use CRS. In addition, graduate respondents are 1.5 times more likely to use CRS for their children. In
conclusion, high incorrect usage rate and understanding of the CRS could promote additional injury towards the
children in a car crash. Many initiatives could be introduced before the implementation of the CRS law in Malaysia
such as awareness, community-based programs and CRS clinics that aim to guide guardians on the correct and
effective way of installing the CRS device in their car
2.The effects of mobile electronic device use in influencing pedestrian crossing behaviour
Mohd Syazwan Solah ; Zulhaidi Mohd Jawi ; Nur Zarifah Harun ; Azhar Hamzah ; Aqbal Hafeez Ariffin
Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine 2016;16(Special Volume (1)):61-66
Mobile phone distraction is a global issue in road safety perspective especially involving the pedestrians. A lot of
research findings had suggested that the use of mobile phone increase the risk for pedestrians while crossing the
road, but there have been very few studies that could explain the said threat in Malaysia’s situation. This study aims
to identify the distracted pedestrian behaviour via the video recording method. More than 300 samples were
observed as involved in mobile phone distractions while crossing the roads from a total of approximately 1,500
analysed samples. The study also found that the highest mode of distraction observed among pedestrians was the
“handheld usage” (conversing) as compared to the “hands-free” and “application usage” modes. In addition, the
distractions had significantly affected the time to cross and the observed road users who were involved in
“application usage” took longer time to cross. These results provide a prevalence material that may be useful in the
development of countermeasures.
3.Correct Seatbelt Positioning For Pregnant Car Occupants
Noor Faradila P ; Aqbal Hafeez A ; Mohd Syazwan S ; Wahida A.B ; Mohamad Suffian A
Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine 2018;18(2):7-12
Correct seatbelt wearing is a prerequisite for the protection of a pregnant woman and her baby in the event of a crash. However, because of discomfort due to large abdomen and wrong belief, pregnant women may avoid using the safety belt or may wear it not according to the correct position as recommended. This research aims to assess the overall prevalence of seatbelt wearing and the proportion of correct seatbelt wearing among pregnant car occupants. A face-to-face interview survey was conducted on 503 pregnant car occupants in Klang Valley who are visiting pregnancy clinics for their monthly check-up. Seatbelt wearing rate among pregnant car occupants was recorded high for front occupant, 90% for driver and 85% for front passenger. However, rear passenger seatbelt compliance was low, only 24% reported always wearing seatbelt when they occupy the rear seats. Despite the high compliance rate of seatbelt usage among pregnant occupants, the correct positioning of the seatbelt was only 29% of overall respondents. The findings of the study suggest low percentage of correct seatbelt usage among pregnant occupants could increase the risk of injury in event of a crash. Thus, awareness and educations needed to advocate pregnant lady on the correct adjustment of seatbelt.