Approximately 915,874 traffic accidents were reported between 2021 and 2022, according to the Transport Ministry.
Minister Anthony Loke reported that there were 370,286 accidents in 2021 and 545,588 accidents in 2022, with 6,080 deaths (1.1%) and 4,539 deaths (1.23%) respectively.
According to a research by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros), human behaviour is the primary factor in road accidents, followed by design, the state of the road infrastructure, and the condition of the vehicles.
“Miros and the Road Transport Department are continuously running campaigns and enforcement measures to promote safe driving etiquette,” Loke said.
Datuk Adnan Abu Hassan (BN-Kuala Pilah) requested that the Transport Minister identify the primary contributing factor in fatal traffic accidents and outline short, medium, and long-term solutions.
In response, Loke stated that in order to address the issue of traffic accidents, the Transport Ministry introduced the Malaysia Road Safety Plan (PKJRM 2022-2030) on January 27, 2022.
“The goal is to reduce the number of road accidents by 50% come 2030. Various programmes and strategies involving stakeholders from local communities and the private sector have also been planned,” he said.
He claimed that in order to raise car safety standards, both active and passive tactics were used. This has been accomplished, he said, “through the establishment of a vehicle research and safety test centre and improving the standards and mechanisms used to evaluate a vehicle’s safety.” He also said that additional steps had also been taken.
