Police Will Release Daily Road Fatality Numbers - Loke

Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that the police will soon be releasing daily data on the number of accidents nationwide as part of government efforts to raise awareness of the rising number of fatalities on the roads, Bernama reported.

In an interview with reporters in Parliament, he stated that the decision was taken earlier today during a cabinet committee meeting on traffic and road safety that was presided over by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. “Last year, a total of 6,643 people died in road accidents. The highest number in five years. From the figure, 4,480 were motorcyclists, an average of 12 deaths a day, or one death in every two hours,” he said.

Loke stated that he brought up in the meeting that the number of fatalities from car crashes in the previous year was greater than the daily average of Covid-19 fatalities during the pandemic.
“This is a very serious number. Road accident statistics are at present released once a year. That does not provide a picture that can raise public concern,” he added.

According to him, authorities have decided to gather real-time data on daily accidents across the country and make it publicly available in a manner akin to the previous reports of Covid-19 infections and fatalities.

He went on to say that the media can contribute by reporting the daily accident statistics.

In the meantime, the government will carry out a number of initiatives to lower the rate of accidents and fatalities, according to a statement from Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

These include enhancing road safety infrastructure, fixing road surfaces and shoulders, and enhancing signs, road lines, street lights, and traffic lights, according to Ahmad Zahid, who also serves as the chairman of the cabinet committee on road safety and traffic congestion.