These Penang kids just took their road safety innovation international
Imagine you’re on the road near a school in Penang. There’s traffic congestion, cars zipping by, and parents frantically trying to get their kids across the street. It sounds like a scene from Rush Hour 3 – but without Jackie Chan to save the day.
Well, one group of Primary 6 students from SJK(C) Kwang Hwa, Sungai Nibong decided, “Enough is enough!” Instead of just waiting for adults to fix the problem, they took matters into their own hands. And guess what? They didn’t just make their school safer… they ended up winning a EUR 5,000 grant and going all the way to an international competition to show off their solutions.
The program gets kids involved in road safety
Before we get to the kids’ genius ideas, here’s some context. Malaysia, unfortunately, has a pretty grim track record when it comes to road safety. Between January and October 2024 alone, there were 532,000 road accidents. Even scarier? 68% of fatalities involved motorcyclists and pedestrians. In other words, your average jalan kaki kiddo is one of the most at-risk road users.
“The VIA program is about empowering students to take charge of their own environments,”
Alina Amir, CEO and Co-Founder of Arus Academy
To tackle this, TotalEnergies Malaysia and Arus Academy introduced the VIA Safe Mobility Program — a hands-on initiative that gets students involved in road safety. Think of it as a school project, but instead of building toothpick bridges, kids are creating real-world solutions to save lives.
We all know the chaos of our roads
If you’ve ever driven near a school during drop-off or pick-up time, you’ll know it’s like the Hunger Games – except the prize is a parking spot and survival. For the students at SJK(C) Kwang Hwa, their daily struggles included — heavy traffic congestion, motorists speeding through the school zone and no proper pedestrian crossings.
So, led by their teacher mentor Ms. Chan Hui Lee, the students decided to solve these problems head-on. With the help of teachers Ms. Lee Hooi Ching and Ms. Phang Poh Choo, a team of 5 brave kids – Tan Jie Ling, Low Zi Ning, Oon Xin Jie, Tai Chee Ying, and Tan Zhi Ling – turned into mini-engineers, policy advocates, and problem solvers.
From imagination to mini prototypes
These kids got creative and came up with two ideas to revolutionise road safety. The ideas are:
- An Automatic Barrier Gate: This gate helps control traffic flow near the school. Think of it as a traffic cop, but automated. They also designed a huge sign that reads “AWAS Palang Automatik” (Caution: Automatic Barrier) to make sure drivers don’t miss it.
- An Orange Alert Zone: Ever notice how toll plazas have bright lines to warn you to slow down? The kids suggested painting an orange zone 100 meters before the pedestrian light to remind drivers they’re entering a school zone. No excuses for laju gila driving anymore!
These solutions weren’t just ideas scribbled on rough paper. The students got hands-on, building prototypes and refining their ideas through research. And yes, they even got the big shots involved…
Teaming up with experts and taking road safety international
The kids didn’t just rely on their own creativity. They teamed up with experts, local authorities, and even grassroots organizations to bring their solutions to life.
They worked with the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) to get permits for road modifications. They consulted Bike Commute Malaysia for advice on sustainable urban mobility, and when they needed feedback, YB Kumaresan Arumugam (ADUN Batu Uban) stepped in to help align their ideas with local infrastructure policies.
Seriously, when was the last time you “collaborated with policymakers” in Primary 6?
After impressing judges at the national level, the SJK(C) Kwang Hwa team won a EUR 5,000 grant to start implementing their solutions. But they didn’t stop there. They went on to the regional competition, beat out teams from other countries, and earned a spot in the global finals.
Competing against teams from countries like Angola, Brazil, Lebanon, Madagascar, and Morocco, these kids presented their ideas on an international stage. That’s right – these Penang students went from dodging speeding cars to being global road safety advocates.
This journey highlights the power of youth in driving community change. Through the VIA Safe Mobility Program, these students have not only improved safety around their school but have also set an example for others nationwide.
So the next time you see a group of 12-year-olds, remember: they might just be plotting the next big solution to a real-world problem.
