Behaviour modification: Panel Chairman Dr Cheng stresses that bad driving - not highway design -  is responsible for most traffic accidents. Dr Wong Sze-chun looks on.

Hong Kong drivers need an attitude adjustment, an independent road-safety panel says. Set up after a double-decker bus crashed through a guardrail off Tuen Mun Road killing 21 people in July, the panel says driving behaviour has the greatest bearing on safety.

Chief among its recommendations, the Tuen Mun Road Traffic Incident Independent Expert Panel's report says Hong Kong "should target efforts to promote good driving practices and foster a responsible and considerate driving culture".

The report, presented to Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa today, adds: "We should aim to make Hong Kong's road system the safest, and the driving culture the most considerate and courteous, among major cities in the world." 

Mr Tung thanked the panel for its in-depth review of safety issues relating to the highway system, and its recommendations for enhancing the safety of Tuen Mun Road and the highway network.

Traffic accident trends put HK on par with other world cities

Transport Advisory Committee Chairman Dr Cheng Hon-kwan chairs the panel. The other members are Edmund Leung, past President of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, and Dr Wong Sze-chun, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Hong Kong.

Their "Report on Enhancement of Highway Safety" concludes that despite an increase in population and vehicles, there has actually been a reduction in the total number of traffic accidents, fatalities and casualties in the past two decades.

"The increase in slight accidents and in the number of accidents involving public buses and public light buses warrants attention," it warns.

Speaking at a midday press conference, the panel told reporters that Hong Kong's road safety performance is on par with other major cities, noting that Hong Kong compares favourably with other cities in the per-population accident rate - but less favourably in terms of the rate per kilometre of road. There is always room for improvement, it notes.

Highway design, traffic management in line with world standards

Having assessed current measures and standards against international standards, the panel concludes that Hong Kong's highway design and traffic management measures are generally in line with international standards.

Tuen Mun Road is "intrinsically safe" according to panel chairman Dr Cheng. Because most of the accidents along this highway are driver related, the panel recommends stepped up enforcement action for lawbreakers.

Speed-enforcement cameras would help slow speeding drivers down, it says. The report notes that 14 of the 16 such cameras planned for Tuen Mun Road have already been installed and the two remaining will be up by the end of the year.

Parapet design draws public attention

After the horrific July 10 crash of the bus through the guardrail and down a hill, the public has expressed concerns about the strength and design of the parapet.

The panel's report points out that guardrails "provide only a passive line of defence to reduce the severity of accidents. No parapet can have the perfect height and containment level to provide the ideal protection to all vehicles under all conditions."

While Hong Kong has adopted the British standard in parapet designs, the panel notes that the extensive use of double-decker buses is a distinct feature of our transport system. Since most foreign standards do not make reference to them, the Government is advised to carry out further evaluations, including using computer simulations.

The report also lists 39 locations that have similar characteristics to the Tuen Mun Road bus accident site, for which consideration should be given to providing some road-safety enhancement work.

Bad driving behaviour triggers most accidents

After reviewing the major contributing factors of traffic accidents in Hong Kong for the past decade, the panel noted that on average, about 65% of accidents are driver related.

Their report lists six of the greatest driving offences:

* driving too close to the vehicle in front;

* turning or reversing negligently;

* careless lane changing;

* driving at an inappropriate speed;

* failing to obey traffic signals; and

* late use of, or failing to use, indicators.

The panel recommends a three-pronged approach to fostering a considerate and responsible driving culture. It entails publicity, driver training and strengthened enforcement.

Key recommendations

The following are some of the panel's key recommendations for addressing poor driving habits.

* Apart from condemning aggressive driving behaviour, publicity campaigns should also promote good driving practices and foster a considerate driving culture.

* Repeat traffic offenders should be required to take part in the Driver Improvement Scheme.

* The existing probationary driving licence arrangement for motorcyclists should expand to cover new private car and light goods vehicle drivers, too. Dr Cheng told a press conference that drivers with less than one year's experience are responsible for more than two-thirds of all traffic accidents.

* The existing trial of speed display units - monitors that show the speed at which a vehicle is travelling - in 243 green minibuses running overnight routes should be extended to all other public light buses.

* The Government should consider formally requiring all newly-registered franchise buses to be installed with speed limiters that prevent them from travelling over the maximum speeds.

The Chief Executive has asked Secretary for Environment, Transport & Works Dr Sarah Liao to study the report's recommendations in detail and to consider how best to take them forward.

Dr Liao will meet the press later this afternoon.

Click here to see the full report, or here to see the summary of recommendations.