KUALA LUMPUR: The number of fatal road accidents nationwide dropped by 41% during Ops Selamat 24, held in conjunction with the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration from March 29 to April 3, says Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.
The Deputy Inspector-General of Police said that 77 fatal accident cases were recorded this year, compared to 131 during the same period last year.
"Alhamdulillah, the number of deaths also declined to 85 this year, marking a reduction of 59 deaths or 41% from 144 recorded last year," he said during the Ops Selamat 24 Best Contingent and District Awards Ceremony at the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) here Friday (April 11) night.
However, the total number of road accidents increased by 4%, rising to 9,859 cases compared to 9,451 last year.
Ayob Khan explained that the increase could be attributed to the growing number of registered vehicles in Malaysia, which now exceeds 36.6 million.
Police identified 432 hotspot locations and 122 blackspots across major highways, federal and state roads, city streets, and other roads nationwide.
"Roadblocks at high-risk areas proved to be one of the effective measures in reducing accidents at these locations," he added, noting that 91,727 traffic summonses were issued during the operation, an increase of 1% from 90,640 issued during Ops Selamat 22.
Motorcyclists and pillion riders continued to record the highest number of fatalities, though the figure dropped from 93 last year to 52 this year, a 44% reduction.
Ayob Khan added that this year's Ops Selamat also focused on securing homes left empty during the festive period.
Police received 12,773 "Balik Kampung" notices from the public, compared to 10,869 last year. A total of 76,274 patrols were conducted nationwide, 27% more than the 55,837 patrols carried out last year.
These included 37,429 Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) patrols, 14,176 by Motorcycle Patrol Units (URB), 20,311 by local station teams, and 4,358 other patrols.
A total of 6,957 personnel from the Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT), along with 2,742 personnel from the Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department (JPJKK), were directly involved in Ops Selamat 24. – Bernama
