KUALA LUMPUR: The Transport Ministry's target of reducing the death index due to road accidents yearly through the Malaysia Road Safety Plan 2014-2020 has been achieved.
Based on the final results of the report, all programmes, initiatives and intervention measures implemented by the ministry have contributed to the reduction in the rate of road deaths at 4.8 per cent per annum between 2016 (7,152 deaths) and 2019 (6,167 deaths).
"The target of lowering the death index is also achieved from 3.4 in 2010 to 1.97 in 2019 (target 2.0).
"The achievement and success of road safety plan is the result of cooperation and support from various government agencies, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and people from all walks of life," the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
It said the measures carried out would continue and be improved upon in the next road safety plan from 2021-30.
The ministry said the new plan was expected to be launched in the third quarter of 2021.
Based on police statistics from 2010 to 2019, more than 500,000 cases of road accidents on average are reported and these involved almost 7,000 deaths each year.
"Every road accident will involve huge costs to the country including medical costs, infrastructure repair costs, increased business costs and costs due to loss of productivity," the ministry said.
"The biggest cost is loss of life which will have a negative social impact on the next-of-kin or family of the victim."
The ministry said the road safety plan was created in line with global efforts to address road safety issues under the United Nations' Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020.
The main objective of the current road safety plan was to reduce the death rate due to road accidents by up to 50 per cent by 2020, compared to the estimated number of deaths if no intervention measures were carried out.
The current road safety plan aimed to reduce the death index for every 10,000 vehicles to 2.0 in 2020 compared to 3.4 in 2010.
Based on the analysis of accident data in situations where no intervention measures were implemented, deaths due to road accidents in the country were expected to increase by 56 per cent from 6,872 deaths in 2010 to 10,716 deaths in 2020.
The current road safety plan contained five key focus areas such as road safety management, safer road users and post-accident management.
All these areas contained a variety of initiatives, programmes and intervention measures that had been designed to increase awareness and compliance with the law, thereby contributing to increased levels of road safety.
-- BERNAMA
