PETALING JAYA (ANN/THE STAR) – Someone loses their life in a Malaysian road accident every 1 hour and 56 minutes, according to official statistics from March 14, 2024, to March 18 this year.
Even more alarming, a road accident occurs approximately every 50 seconds.
The Star’s analysis reveals these sobering figures as the country approaches the Hari Raya holiday season, when millions travel to their hometowns.
The Cabinet committee on traffic congestion and road safety began releasing daily accident statistics last March to raise awareness about road safety.
Road accidents surged during festival periods
Statistics indicate that accidents tend to rise sharply in the days prior to major festivals. There is then a decline during the festival days, followed by another spike once the festivities end as traffic returns to normal levels.
Last year, the top three days with the highest number of accidents all fell within a one-week period before Hari Raya Aidilfitri, namely on April 5 (2,185 cases), April 4 (2,160 cases), and April 6 (2,156 cases).
After a brief dip during the festivities, the number of accidents spiked again just days later, with 2,146 accidents reported on April 15, four days after Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Day with the highest number of road accidents
Monday emerged as the day of the week with the highest average number of accidents at 1,803, followed closely by Friday (1,802) and Tuesday (1,796).
Meanwhile, Sunday saw the lowest average at 1,451 accidents.
However, when it comes to road fatalities, Sunday and Saturday were the deadliest days, each averaging 15 deaths per day.
Monday, Thursday, and Friday followed with an average of 14 deaths daily, while Tuesday recorded the lowest at 12 deaths per day.
Across the entire year, Malaysia recorded an average of 1,729 traffic accidents per day, with 14 daily fatalities.
The overall traffic death rate stood at 0.8 deaths for every 100 accidents.
Road safety measures make a difference
Despite the trend, major police initiatives aimed at enhancing road safety have resulted in a decrease in accidents and fatalities during major festivities.
For example, the Ops Selamat 23 operation, held over five days from Jan 28 to Feb 2 this year in conjunction with Chinese New Year, managed to reduce accident cases by 10 per cent, with 7,882 cases compared to 8,784 during the same period last year.
In addition, Transport Minister Anthony Loke on March 10 announced that goods vehicles will be prohibited from operating on the roads for four days in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
The ban will be enforced on March 29 and 30, as well as April 5 and 6.
The purpose of the ban is to alleviate congestion and minimise the likelihood of road accidents resulting from the mix of commercial vehicles and private cars.
Malaysia ranks second in Asean for road fatalities
Among South-East Asian countries, Malaysia had the second-highest road fatality rate among Asean nations in 2021, according to the Global Burden of Disease 2024 report.
The country recorded 23.7 road deaths per 100,000 people, trailing Thailand, which topped the list at 29.7. Vietnam ranked third with a rate of 21.7.
Despite these figures, Asean countries have seen a steady decline in road fatality rates over the past four decades.
In Malaysia, the rate dropped from 31.3 per 100,000 people in 1980 to 23.7 in 2021.
