Victims of fatal accidents higher than Covid-19’s

SEPANG - The death rate due to road accidents reduced by 160 cases over the past year compared to the death rate in 2021.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said a total of 4,379 deaths were recorded until September last year.

“Based on statistics from the police, from January to December 2021, a total of 370,286 road accidents were recorded with 4,539 deaths.

“Meanwhile, from January to September 2022, a total of 402,626 road accidents have been recorded with 4,379 deaths,” he said during the launching of the national level ‘Ops Sepadu’ and Road Safety Campaign in conjunction with Chinese New Year 2023 in Dengkil, today.

Public Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi had also officiated the programme.

He said from the total number of deaths, 11,325 cases of road accidents with a total of 108 cases of fatal accidents and 119 cases of death were recorded throughout the implementation period of Ops Selamat conducted during last year’s Chinese New Year.

“The death rate of 119 road users in 2022 is worrying,” he said.

In the meantime, Anthony stressed that the level of road safety literacy in this country was not something that the nation could be proud of.

“The death rate due to road accidents in the country is more than the number of people who died during Covid-19.

“This is a factor that worries us a lot, but the public’s awareness of road accidents is not as big as their concern about Covid-19,” he added.