Driving Change: Malaysia's bold move to boost road safety with daily accident updates

KUALA LUMPUR: Transport Minister Anthony Loke has announced a new initiative aimed at enhancing road safety awareness by providing daily updates on fatal road accidents. Coordinated by the Road Transport Department in collaboration with the police, this effort seeks to inform the public about the previous day's road fatalities.

According to The Star’s report, Loke emphasized the importance of widespread media cooperation to disseminate these figures, drawing a parallel with the CovidNow platform's success in keeping the public informed during the pandemic. "Just as we did with Covid-19 data, we'll adopt a similar approach to underscore the grave risk road accidents pose to our community," Loke stated during a media briefing in Parliament.

This decision, endorsed by a Cabinet committee on traffic congestion and road safety led by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, underscores the government's commitment to changing public attitudes towards traffic safety. Loke highlighted the staggering statistic of 6,443 road accident deaths last year, marking the highest toll in five years, with motorcycles accounting for nearly two-thirds of these fatalities.

In addition to these measures, Loke revealed plans to introduce open payment systems on public transport buses operated by Prasarana, facilitating a variety of cashless payment options beyond the current Touch n' Go system. This move, aimed particularly at easing the experience for both locals and tourists, is expected to be implemented on Rapid KL buses by the end of the year.

Furthermore, Loke shared that the committee has approved a proposal by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to create a contra-flow lane from the Sungai Besi toll plaza to the SMART Tunnel, promising more details on this traffic congestion mitigation effort soon.

The road accident death rate in Malaysia is notably high compared to other countries. According to a study highlighted by The Rakyat Post, Malaysia ranks third globally for the likelihood of dying in a road accident, with a rate of 22.48 deaths per 100,000 people.

This places Malaysia behind Thailand, with 32.21 deaths per 100,000 people, and Saudi Arabia, leading with 35.94 deaths. The study also places Malaysia at number 23 in a list assessing the safety of roads, indicating a significant area for improvement in road safety within the country.

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