Transport Minister Anthony Loke revealed that an average of 18 people die daily in traffic-related incidents, with 12 of these fatalities involving motorcycles, during a press conference held at the Parliamentary Media Center.
He emphasized the critical situation of road safety in Malaysia, likening the severity of traffic accidents to that of a pandemic.
To address this, the minister announced plans to collaborate with the police to publish daily, real-time data on traffic incidents, aiming to raise public awareness about the seriousness of the issue.
Highest in five years
The initiative comes in response to alarming statistics from 2023, which saw a record high of 6,443 traffic-related deaths, marking the highest in the past five years.
With one person dying every 80 minutes from a traffic accident, and motorcycles involved in nearly two-thirds of these fatalities, the government is signaling a strong commitment to tackling this crisis.
“This decision, made in today’s meeting, is to coordinate with the police, mirroring the approach taken during the pandemic, to release real-time data every day,” said Loke.
“We want to inform the public that traffic accidents are as serious as a pandemic,” he added, highlighting the urgent need for concerted efforts to improve road safety and prevent further loss of life.
