KUALA LUMPUR: The number of road fatalities may have reduced slightly but the Transport Ministry vows that enforcement will be intensified to further bring down the statistics.
Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said his target is a reduction of 10% every year.
“Road fatalities have been on the rise since 2002, and 7,152 deaths were recorded in 2016.
“But last year, the figure dropped to 6,740 according to police data, proving that efforts by various agencies are working,” he said.
While happy to see the reduction, Liow said more should be done.
Speaking at the launch of the road safety campaign in conjunction with Chinese New Year yesterday, he said the death index for every 10,000 registered vehicles on the road last year stood at 2.34, compared to 2.59 in 2016.
“Our target is to reduce the index to 2.0 just like any other developed nation,” he said.
The highest incidences of road fatalities every year is still among motorcyclists. From the total number of fatalities recorded last year, 64.5% or 4,348 were motorcyclists, Liow said.
He said his ministry, together with other agencies such as the police, Road Transport Department (JPJ), Road Safety Department (JKJR) and the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) are committed to ensure the safety of all road users.
A total of 100 JKJR officers, 1,500 JPJ officers and 4,000 police personnel will be on the road during the Chinese New Year road safety operations from Feb 9 to Feb 23, he added.
Meanwhile, Liow dismissed allegations that the authorities are imposing traffic fines because Putrajaya is strapped for cash.
Fines and compounds are a way to educate the public and prevent road users from flouting the law, he said.
Over in Bentong, Liow said highway concessionaires are given the freedom to open up lanes or alter traffic flow to disperse bottlenecks during the festive season.
Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway concessionaire Anih Bhd’s executive vice-president for highway asset management Radzimah Mohd Radzi said traffic on the East Coast Highway and KL-Karak Highway is expected to increase by up to 60% on peak days.
The usual traffic load is about 100,000 vehicles a day, he added.
Liow was at Bentong Hospital for a Chinese New Year charity visit organised by Anih and its sister company AlloyMtd Group.
