Safety delivery, situational awareness, wayfinding and self-awareness prediction of ferry passenger safety awareness in Penang

Passenger safety remains a central concern for domestic ferry operations, especially along the busy Georgetown–Butterworth route in Penang. While ongoing safety measures have been implemented, a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence passengers’ awareness of safety procedures is still lacking. This research investigates how safety delivery, situational awareness, wayfinding and self-awareness influence to passengers’ safety awareness in Penang. A cross sectional design was adopted, with data collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 400 domestic ferry passengers using non-probability convenience sampling. Descriptive analysis was conducted using SPSS to examine respondents’ demographic characteristics. Pearson correlation analysis was employed to assess the relationships between the independent variables and passengers’ safety awareness, while multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the prediction influence of each factor. The findings reveal that all four independent variables are positively and statistically significant predictors of passengers’ safety awareness. Among the factors examined, wayfinding emerged as the strongest predictor (β = 0.299) followed by situational awareness, self-awareness and safety delivery. The results indicate that passengers’ ability to navigate the ferry environment and clearly identify safety features plays a crucial role in enhancing overall safety awareness. From a practical perspective, the findings highlight the importance of improving wayfinding systems through clear signage, standardised safety symbols and visible emergency routes, as well as strengthening safety communication through effective briefings and visual aids. This study provides valuable insights for ferry operators and policymakers in developing human-centred safety strategies. Future research may adopt longitudinal or mixed-method approaches and extend the scope to other domestic ferry routes in Malaysia.