KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 — In its first daily report of road accidents nationwide, the Royal Malaysia Police’s Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) said a total of 1,999 incidents were reported since yesterday including 12 deaths.
JSPT director Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri said the report is the first of what will be the daily broadcast of real-time data on road accidents and deaths from the preceding day.
“Infographic broadcasts will be uploaded to JSPT’s official social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and X starting from today, with releases before or at 2pm,” he said in a statement.
Mohd Azman said the reports were to raise awareness among road users and the general public about the seriousness of road accidents in the country.
“The PDRM urges all road users to always adhere to the established rules and ensure compliance with road traffic laws without compromise. Cooperation from the public is hoped to further enhance awareness of the importance of maintaining safety and reducing the rate of road accidents in our country,” he said.
On March 6, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the police had agreed to release daily traffic accident statistics in light of the high death rate in the country.
The decision was made in a meeting by the Cabinet committee on road safety and traffic congestion.
According to Loke, road crashes ranked fourth highest as a leading cause of death in the country with 6,443 fatalities a year.
He also stressed that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had ranked Malaysia 126 out of 175 countries when it came to deaths by road crashes.
Loke said the daily updates from the police would hopefully draw the public’s attention to the seriousness of the matter and help change their mindset.
