In Malaysia, thousands of road accidents occur each year and unfortunately, not everyone involved in the accident makes it out alive.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has recently sound the alarm over a particular group of Malaysians losing their lives to road accidents and called upon relevant parties to work together in curbing the problem.
Zahid: ‘Youths make up 90% of road accident fatalities’
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Federal Territories-level 2025 National Youth Day celebration on Sunday (May 18), Zahid quoted worrying statistics which showed Malaysian youths were dying in road accident at a monumental scale.
On average, 6,000 people die in road accidents each year. 90% of those who perish are youths.
“We must prevent this from continuing, as we are losing a vital part of our productive workforce. This must be stopped,” he said as quoted by NST.
To put the scale of the sheer number of youths dying in road accidents into perspective, Zahid said the total number of fatalities would be enough to completely fill up six football fields, with each field representing 1,000 lives lost.
‘We must work together’
Zahid, who is also the chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Road Safety and Congestion, called upon the Malaysian Youth Council and youth councils at the state level, including those in the Federal Territories, to take proactive measures in addressing the issue.
“Organise special courses for young motorcyclists, covering road safety and motorcycle maintenance. As for Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara), it definitely has the resources and means to support these efforts.
“We must not act in silos. We must work together with ministries, departments, agencies, the private sector, and non-governmental organisations,” he urged.
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