KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 28 — A total of 18 people were reported killed daily in road accidents nationwide last year.

The figure has alarmed Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai who notes that the number of road accidents last year has also increased.

In 2014, there were 476,196 road accidents while last year, 489,606 accidents were reported - a spike by 2.74 per cent.

“The total number of accidents included 6,706 fatalities in 2015, as compared to 6,674 fatalities in 2014,” Liow told reporters after launching the 2016 Kawasaki Road Safety Campaign at the southbound Sungai Besi toll plaza here today.

He also expressed concern over the spike in the number of fatal motorcycle accidents in which 4,203 cases were reported between January and September last year, as compared to 4,179 cases during the same period the year before.

According to Liow, statistics showed in the past 10 years, a total of 39,774 motorcyclists were killed in road accidents.

Meanwhile, he commended the commitment of Kawasaki and the Malaysia Motorcycle and Scooter Dealers Association (MMSDA) in raising the awareness of road users, especially motorcyclists in the campaign.

“I understand this is the first campaign organised by Kawasaki with MMSDA.

The cooperation is timely, as the number of accident fatalities involving motorcycles are the highest in the country,” he said. — Bernama