Traffic Ops And Extra Enforcement To Follow Dismal Accident Statistics

The numbers are in on traffic accidents within Malaysian roads, and they make for grim reading. Following the flurry of traffic ops conducted over the festive season and the somewhat unencouraging results, more speed traps and traffic operations will be installed and carried out, respectively.

For example, PDRM have said that the average fatality rate during Ops Selamat 2015 had risen to 22 a day, an increase of 69% over 2014's daily average of 13.

According to The Star, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai has spoken with the Road Transport Department, the police, and the Road Safety Department to increase enforcement across the board to reduce the rate of accidents and road fatalities.

“The drastic increase in road accidents and fatalities this festive season is abnormal and worrying,” he said at the Hari Raya open house by Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob in Bentong.

Police have disclosed statistics showing 12,383 accidents since Ops Selamat was launched on July 10, with federal traffic chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Mohd Fuad Abdul Latiff saying 123,190 summonses were issued in that same time frame. 203 fatalities have resulted from 76 accidents, with the majority occurring on federal roads, he said.

Meanwhile, Liow added: “There are still a few more days to go before traffic returns to its usual volume. We are doing all we can to save lives,”

“We need your cooperation. We alone cannot achieve the results effectively.”

Finally, Liow expressed his concern that motorists are indeed aware of the dangers but lack the right attitude towards the issue. He hopes that changes to the driving license curriculum which places an emphasis on safe and responsible driving would change this.