RM9bil lost in road accidents annually

LUMUT: About RM9bil, or two percent of the Gross Domestic Product of RM528bil in 2010, is lost annually from accidents.

In disclosing this, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said the Malaysian Road Safety Council (MKJR) could contribute two percent to the economic growth if it effectively overcame the problem of road safety.

He said accidents were the main cause of death for those under 16 and 25, both locally and worldwide.

"In this connection, the meeting today is our best opportunity to see and re-evaluate current issues on road safety, including the progress of the Road Safety Plan 2006-2010," he said when opening the 52nd annual general meeting (AGM) of the MKJR here Saturday.

Kong said, based on police statistics, the death rate among motorists and passengers from January to September this year had dropped 4.2 percent compared to last year.

"For pedestrians, it dropped by 14.6 percent, bus drivers and passengers, five percent, while for van drivers and passengers, 24.1 percent," he said.

However, he said the death rate for the motorcyclist and pillion rider category had gone up by 5.4 percent.

During the AGM, Kong approved a RM140,000 allocation to MKJR, namely RM10,000 to every state MKJR, to finance activities to boost awareness on the Automated Enforcement System which would be implemented soon. - Bernama