BAGAN DATUK: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has expressed concern over the high number of road fatalities, saying the country has lost about 60,000 lives over the past 10 years in crashes nationwide.
The Deputy Prime Minister, who is also chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Road Safety and Congestion, said 82 per cent of those fatalities involved motorcyclists and pillion riders.
"About 90 per cent of the 6,000 annual road fatalities are individuals aged 30 and below, which means the country is losing skilled manpower almost every year.
"Imagine if 6,000 people died every year over the past decade - that’s 60,000 deaths caused by road accidents. These are statistics that greatly concern the government,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said this when speaking at the 2025 Perak State-level MyLesen B2 Programme Licence Presentation Ceremony at the Bagan Datuk Umno Complex here on Saturday (Oct 11).
Also present were Transport Ministry secretary-general Datuk Jana Santhiran Muniayan and Road Transport Department (JPJ) director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli.
As such, Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, urged the younger generation in particular to value their lives when driving or riding motorcycles.
"Cherish your life, your parents, your family, your community and your country. The nation needs its youth, who are its valuable assets,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said he too enjoyed riding both small-capacity and high-powered bikes and had gone on motorcycle expeditions overseas, but always abides by traffic rules and safety guidelines.
Earlier, at the same event, 650 participants comprising school students, public university students and B40 youth received benefits under this year’s MyLesen B2 Programme.
In a statement, JPJ said that in the first half of 2025, more than 15,000 participants of the MyLesen Programme obtained their B2 motorcycle licences for free, funded by the government with an allocation of RM5.2mil.
Due to the overwhelming response, the quota for new applicants was increased by 10,000 in mid-year to meet strong nationwide demand.- Bernama
