PUTRAJAYA: The Public Works Department has drawn up programmes to meet the government's target of reducing road deaths to two for every 10,000 registered vehicles by 2010. 

The programmes, under the ministry's Road Safety Plan 2006-2010, are based on accident prevention and accident reduction measures, said PWD director-general Datuk Dr Judin Abdul Karim.

"The accident prevention measures incorporate road safety auditing (RSA) for all new road projects during the planning, construction and operation stages of the project implementation.

"RSA is also done on existing roads at the operation stage. By the end of November 2006, more than 168 projects, new and existing, have undergone the whole or part of the auditing process," he said in his paper on Road Infrastructure Development in Malaysia delivered at the gala dinner of the International Conference on Infrastructure Development 2008. 

The New Straits Times is the official newspaper for the conference.

Judin's paper was delivered by his deputy Datuk Mohammad Husin. 

He said the accident reduction strategy implemented programmes to reduce accident or the rate of injury or fatality through improvements on hazardous locations along existing roads.

He added research and study programmes on hazardous locations, road surfaces, geometric standards and traffic control devices were also implemented.

"PWD started treating the black spot locations since the Seventh Malaysia Plan where 147 were identified.

"During the 8th Plan RM60 million was allocated and for the 9th Plan, another RM40 million has been allocated for the same purpose." 

Judin said the government had also allocated RM51.3 million for road safety programmes, and RM18.5 million for the construction of motorcycle lanes. 

The move is expected to reduce accidents involving motorcyclists and pillion riders